Second Chance for a First Meeting
by minatochan2
Summary: Naruto finds himself trapped within his own seal at the hands of Konoha's newest threat. With time against him, Naruto has to find his way out of one of the most complex seals ever designed by man. However, he may just run into a certain blonde shinobi who could do the trick. Slight AU. No pairings. Rated T for action-violence just to be safe. Complete!
1. Blurred Lines

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, why would I be writing "fanfiction"?

Edit: 11.24.2013 Just some line-additions and one spelling error :)

* * *

_ Flash. Flicker._ Movements occurred in seconds, even faster than the human eye could capture. His movements were based entirely on instinct, sweeping kicks and blocks that stung with a definite precision. He delivered a successful blow to his opponent and retreated across the field with a strong backward jump.

The plain they had been fighting on had since been decimated. Grass was overturned and replaced with crushed rock or top-soil; trees' roots clung to the edges of crevices recently carved into the ground, their leaves trembling with fear. Naruto had hardly any time to take in the destruction as another set of punches flew at him. He skillfully dodged, taking any possible chance to strike back but for the most part remaining on the defensive.

**Kurama! How much longer do you think we have left!?**

The gigantic fox planted himself firmly on the ground, crushing any vegetation and shaking the earth with the force of a god. **Not too long! Maybe a few minutes! **

** We need a backup plan ya know! I don't know if we can take him out by-**

** Stop complaining and end this punk! **Kurama growled, bending his limbs low and sneering so all of his fangs were clearly displayed. The orange cloak somehow made the beast look more menacing than normal and the swirling black pattern encompassing him glowered with intimidation. Naruto felt himself take a slight step back in surprise, but the tall man, the intended recipient, merely sneered in turn. His face was pale as if he had not seen the light of day his entire life and his dark long hair only emphasized the white tone.

Kurama winced. There was no one who could be that confident in the presence of a tailed-beast like himself. **Be careful. This guy's either got a good bluff or he still has a few tricks up his sleeves. **Naruto nodded, letting a kunai slip into his hand from his jacket sleeve. He returned his gaze back to his opponent. Everything about him screamed "Orochimaru" which only made him want to crush him more. He distantly felt the bright chakra surrounding him flare at the complex feelings that hit him all at once: the chunin exams, Jiraiya, the Fourth Shinobi War, Sasuke…

He quickly shoved the thoughts aside and launched a counter-attack. The man evaded every strike with an efficiency that only suited to further enrage Naruto. Neither could land a hit on the other but a stalemate was something he could not afford. As soon as the next minute ended, it was over.

Kurama burst into a lustrous yellow light that trailed back to Naruto, being absorbed into him. **This should give you a little more time. Just don't screw everything up moron.** The fox clasped his palms together hastily and went quiet. Naruto mentally nodded, allowing the new rush of power to surge through him. He contemplated his possibilities between flurries of kicks: use all of it at once or try to outlast him using the same level of chakra he had been using throughout the duration of the past half hour. Inside the familiar sewer, he glanced toward his companion who emitted silent agreement.

Meanwhile, the clock was ticking. Naruto feinted to the left which the man fell right into. He smirked at the man's surprise when he twisted and swiftly imbedded his shin into the man's abdomen. There was no way he could have anticipated the sudden speed boost. Naruto continued to assail him with a multitude of punches aimed for any vital areas within his reach, leaving the man unable to defend himself. A solid fist collided with a jaw bone which sent him flying into a boulder that spewed an array of dust and pebbles. Naruto noticed his chakra cloak disperse in a flash, leaving him dressed in his normal attire. He had timed everything just right to finish the job. He allowed himself to bend forward at the waist, his hands fixed on his knees to keep himself from collapsing entirely. His breathing was lingering and heavy.

**I guess we're done then Kurama. We wo-**

"Heheh."

Naruto's attention spun back to reality in horror as he witnessed a silhouette emerge from the debris. "Looks like you used up all of your strength. I expected more from Konohagakure's Naruto Uzumaki." The man rose to his feet, assuming an expression of an insane sadist. _Sasuke_. The image raced across his eyes before he could suppress it.

**Naruto, we need to get out of here and inform the kage! This is something that we can't handle alone! **The blonde would have taken the time to comment on the demon's unexpected humility had he not been in concurrence with the idea. As much as he hated it, the fox was right: they needed backup and badly.

"I've enjoyed our little game of cat and mouse but I can't let you escape and spoil my plan." Naruto bit back a frown. This guy was a total psychopath. He shifted his pose slightly so that he could easily attack or bolt. With this man, the proceedings of the next few seconds were up in the air.

"Sorry, no can do Takeshi." Naruto flashed a weak smile. He hoped it looked more confident than he felt.

Takeshi paused before exhibiting a sinister laugh that coursed across the plain. The blonde's skin crawled as the sound pierced his ears; it was a voice he thought could only exist in children's nightmares. The noise was ended in a drawn-out sigh as his head angled down, the man's hair sloppily slipping across his face. Suddenly, he moved revealing widened eyes and an ominous grin.

The next thing Naruto knew, his stomach exploded in pain. The open hand twisted in a clockwise motion along his seal. _Oh no._ He felt as if he was burning from the inside out, a devilish flame fed by the vile smile worn on the face of his opponent. All strength was sapped from him at once and his knees buckled under the strain. He found himself gripping at the fading seal on the verge of screaming in pain. **Kurama! **Everything but the searing sting seemed to grow distant to him. **Kurama! **There was silence.

* * *

Naruto's head pulsed in synch with his heartbeat. He sucked in a large breath. It tore at his lungs and ribcage resulting in a stiff cough. He decided that taking in that much air at once was a mistake he should not repeat.

He gradually began to gather information on his surroundings. He was lying on his side on a flat surface. The ground was hard and metallic but also wet and cold that nipped at any exposed skin. The faint hum of dripping water reverberated around him. He reasoned that it must have been a large corridor of some sort.

After a few minutes, Naruto gained enough trust in himself to open his eyes. He grimaced at the sudden intensity of the light but his vision steadily adapted. An orange glow emanated from the golden water to his right and illuminated the otherwise shadowed steel walls. A sewer. He was in his mindscape.

Still, he was troubled by the fact that he had never ventured very far from Kurama's cage and was unfamiliar with where he was. He let his eyes analyze the area. It was fairly simple, consisting of a seemingly never ending two-way hall with a waterway intersecting in the middle. He let his eyes fall closed again. His limbs felt completely paralyzed from the slight ache remaining in his abdomen. _Takeshi, what the heck did you do? _His exhausted mind compiled an army of possibilities until inevitable sleep passed over him.

* * *

He shifted slightly. His hand met with his face as he tried to wipe the remaining fatigue from his features. _Must've passed out. _He sleepily reached down to pull the cloak up over his shoulder. _Wait. I didn't have a… _

"Welcome back."

Ignoring the pain that seared through his stomach, Naruto shot up and instinctively readied a kunai in front of him. His eyes locked on a figure on the other end of the glistening waterway. The man slowly stepped out of the shadows, holding his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. "Easy! I'm not here to hurt you." Naruto gaped at the figure. He had seen all of those features before: the blonde hair, blue eyes, even the clothes were correct down to the last detail. His head snapped back to the floor where a white coat lay emblazoned with bold flames that danced along the hem and a series of five characters. His eyes remained fixed on them, reading and rereading the meaning but hardly able to wrap his mind around the possibility. "Dad?"

"Yes Naruto. I've wanted to meet you for a long time."

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**Author's note:**

_This story is set _after_ the Fourth Shinobi War. I know Minato has already met Naruto by then, but just stick with me; I plan to touch on the last sentence in chapter 2. Please review! It means a lot to me! :D_

_Minatochan2_


	2. The Secret of the Shiki Fuujin

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. If I did, Minato would have more screen time.

Edit: 11.24.2013 I added a part to Minato and Naruto's squabble to have more of a lead-up (thank you Dorcyy). It has no overall effect on the story aside from how it sounds so if you already read this chapter before hand, rereading it isn't necessary.

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"Gosh you've grown," Minato chimed, taking in his appearance. The boy was wearing customary blue shinobi slacks that were cut off by white wrap that trailed into blue zori. His torso was covered with a solid black zip-up that opened to display a vest of protective mesh. Four different headbands were pinned to the upper part of his sleeves, two on each arm. The Konoha headband was tied tightly to his forehead, the black strands dangling freely until their torn edges met with the bottom of his shoulder blades. His sight snagged on the eight trigram seal the pulsed a glaring red every few seconds. Minato frowned. "Do you mind if I take a look at that?"

Naruto took a step back raising his kunai protectively. "Don't come any closer!"

"Naruto." Minato's eyebrows shot up slightly hurt. He let his raised hands fall slowly to his sides. "What do you mean?"

"I've already met you ya know! How on earth could you still be here?" He glared at the blonde man who flinched in surprise. He tightened his grip on the handle of his weapon. "Who are you really!?"

Minato's face went blank of all emotion save astonishment. "I…" He let his mouth snap shut. There was no way to really prove who he was. He was just going to have to convince him and by the look of it, that was not going to be an easy task. His sight connected back to the boy across from him. "Naruto, how old are you now?"

Naruto cringed at the familiarity of the question. He bit his cheek to keep himself focused. Takeshi had to have pulled something. Kurama's warning rung in his ears: _he still has a few tricks up his sleeves_. The teen had never expected the creep to pull a stunt like this. "Seventeen." He hated himself for letting the word slip past his tongue.

Minato's face softened. "Wow. Seventeen." He cupped his own chin, lost in a sea of nostalgia. "You're practically a grownup now eh?" Naruto found himself nodding weakly. "I remember when I was that young." He paused, waiting for his son's consent to continue. He received no change from him. "I had just made jonin back then and was so nervous. You know what that's like I'm sure." He smiled lightly.

Naruto shook his head with a serious expression. Minato felt that if he made one wrong move, he would fling to attack him. "No. Actually, I'm still a genin."

"Oh? I thought you would be higher with your skill."

He shrugged. "I was offered it but I would rather go the traditional way ya know." He fingered some shuriken hidden in a pouch around his hip. "In any case, you never answered my question: who are you?"

The hokage grimaced. He was hoping he could have built a little more credibility in the few exchanges he was spared. "Naruto I-"

"And don't you dare lie to me!"

Minato clamped his mouth closed. He was stuck at a deadlock that did not seem to be leaning in his favor. "I would never lie to you. I am telling you the truth! Naru-"A set of shuriken embedded themselves into the wall where he had been standing.

"What's Takeshi up to!? Why is he doing this!?"

The hokage assumed a puzzled air. "Takeshi?"

A fist grazed his cheek. Obviously that had been the wrong answer. Minato grasped Naruto's elbow, readying to toss him to the ground, when the figure exploded in a puff of smoke. _A shadow clone. _A noise erupted behind him and he whirled to face it, struggling to avoid the ensuing flood of blows. As much as he was focused on defending himself, he pleasingly noticed the lack of openings the boy presented to him. He tucked the praise aside as a solid kick collided with his chest.

"Looks like the boss is holding out okay," a clone observed from further away. He silently cursed the lack of hiding places in the sewer-like setting. The other held out his hand. "Yeah. Let's just hurry up and do this. Then we can concentrate on getting out of here." This was followed by a supportive nod and a whirl of hands, hurriedly spinning above the open one. A tail of blue chakra swirled into a circle, whirring dangerously. All of a sudden, the ball scattered, the aftershock knocking the two of them backwards and ending the jutsu.

The original, whose knee had just been blocked, frowned disapprovingly. He couldn't mold chakra here. _Crap._

* * *

Naruto flung a firm fist which the other blonde blocked with his forearm and elegantly shoved to the side. Every last motion of the hokage was fluid and precise yet maintained a grace that was not left unnoticed, especially when compared to his own style that was designed purely for damage and evasion.

Naruto realized he had to undermine his guard by pushing him into an awkward position. The genin ducked to the ground and swept his leg under Minato's, who jumped back to avoid the blow. By the time he had recovered Naruto had already prepared another punch that was seconds away from colliding with him. For a split moment, the two were caught feet away from one another, looking directly into similar eyes, one filled with unshakable resolve and the other with a mix of emotions that came off as simple surprise. The teen faltered for a fraction of a second and held back his punch giving his opponent enough time to slip away. The blow collided bluntly with the steel wall, leaving a sizable indent that would have no doubt ended the struggle. Naruto cursed inwardly. Things had just gotten far more complicated.

* * *

Minato initiated his first counter-attack in the past few minutes, twisting around a punch and catching his son's wrist in his own iron-clad grip. He flung him toward his left so he collided with the steel wall. The teen grunted as a blunt pain resounded through his spine but pushed it to the side as he found his arms pinned behind him. Minato's face hung inches away from his, stern yet soft at the same time. "Naruto, listen to me! I'm not playing some charade with you on this!"

"…I know."

Minato had begun to rebuttal but halted once the statement sunk in. "Wait, you…."

Naruto's glare softened and was traded for a complacent grin. The older man flinched in surprise. "I know." Minato's grip loosened slightly but he was not assured enough to let go completely. His countenance begged for explanation which Naruto was only too happy to supply: "Have you heard what happens when two high level shinobi fight?"

Minato hesitated, processing this information before finally releasing his hands. His son definitely was smarter than he came off. "How long?"

Naruto shrugged, rubbing at his wrists. "A couple minutes into our fight. I was kinda hoping you'd throw a punch but oh well."

Minato put on a comical scowl. "Sorry if I didn't feel like critically wounding my only son."

"You definitely have a lot of confidence in yourself," the teen teased, fiddling with the tie of his headband.

"Always. Now who's this Takeshi you were talking about?"

Any humor dissolved instantly. "Not someone you want to mess with ya know."

Minato inclined his head. Naruto continued, "After the Fourth Shinobi War, the unsealed bijuu spread all across the globe. It seemed the best choice at the time so no one power could get their hands on all of them like the Akatsuki did." The older blonde nodded understandingly even though the background information he had was limited. "Or at least, that's what we thought. Multiple anti-alliance organizations started to rise and they reverted to the old practice of…" He swallowed the distaste that had been growing on his tongue. "sealing bijuu into people as war weapons."

Minato's disposition fell. "Jinchuriki…"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah." He avoided his father's eyes for a few moments before carrying on. "These groups eventually merged together. There aren't that many people who are members, only a few rebel shinobi, so they're not a national threat but they still pick smaller, more isolated targets like farming villages. The leader is who we're all worried about."

"Takeshi."

Naruto's gaze returned to his father. "Exactly! He's the one pulling all of the strings and I let him get the drop on me!" He paced lividly back and forth across the hokage's vision.

The man inquired, "Had you been assigned to track him?"

"That's what's so frustrating ya know! I only just heard of him recently! He planted an ambush for me when I was on my way back from an escort mission in Kusagakure! What's worse is: I walked right into it!" The blonde groaned angrily scratching at his hair.

"What's so special about this guy that he could give Konoha a run for their money?"

"He has a kekkei genkai that is similar to Onoki's Jinton and is a master of oral-genjutsu." Naruto halted his repetitive journey along the path. "If that wasn't enough, he recently became the Sichibi's Jinchuriki and can manipulate its chakra to his will using his genjutsu."

Minato's mind raced back to that night of October tenth that was the best and most heartbreaking day of his life. "Son, there is something you have to know. The day I died, I was fighting someone who had an ability similar to that, someone with a sharingan."

"I know that too." Naruto frowned, slipping his fingers into his pockets. _He doesn't know about Obito._ He decided to evade the topic entirely.

"But…?"

"I already talked to you remember? Speaking of which, how are you even here!?"

Minato scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I'm not quite sure. Some remains of my chakra are bound to this seal since I'm its caster but I hadn't anticipated that it would be possible for the two of us to come into contact without the ninth tail being released. I suppose I could have met you before, but the memories were never transferred to me here."

"Oh! So you're kinda like a shadow clone! You can only remember the original's memories up until you're created."

Minato considered the idea. "Yes, you could think of it that way I guess. But I can only hypothesize at the moment; the Shiki Fuujin is a complicated technique. Even I don't understand it completely." His eyes trailed to the red pulse tracing around Naruto's seal. He motioned to it. "Mind if I take a look?"

Naruto shrugged, letting his father kneel down to observe his work.

"Troublesome," he hummed lowly.

"What?"

Minato looked up. "A few of the symbols have been changed and some other ones on the outer lining have been added." He stood up and ran his fingers through his hair.

The teen gulped. "Is that bad?"

"Well, it definitely isn't something that's good. The changes to the inside of your seal deal with your psyche. The original design enabled you to shift from both the realm of conscious and subconscious without restraint." He gestured to the sewer. "But the new one blocks you from leaving entirely."

Naruto made a move to rip out his hair. "Are you telling me I'm sealed in my own seal!?"

Minato presented an uneasy but sincere smile. "All irony aside, yes that's what I'm saying. But there is some hope! Perhaps if we could somehow make it to the upper section of this plane, we could possibly-"

The teen held out his hands. "Whoa! Slow down ya know! I'm just gonna go ask Kurama how to get out of here. He'll know." He had begun to take a step before his father caught his shoulder.

"Naruto, I wasn't finished. You can't reach him."

"Eh!? What do you mean!?"

"There's a fine line drawn between two of the characters. He and you may be sharing the same body still, but your psyches have been isolated from one another."

Naruto cursed under his breath. _How could this be happening? _"Alright. What do you propose we do?" He turned back to his father and folded his arms across his chest sternly.

"I've been caught in here for the past seventeen years. I know this place like the back of my hand." Naruto sent his father an uninterested glance. Minato sighed, "Listen, it is divided into multiple quadrants, each dealing with a different section of your mind. A person not in sync with you on a mental level and without your consent can only affect one of these quadrants directly. If we could narrow down which area the changes were applied to, I'm certain that I could reverse them."

The teen pounded a fist into his open palm. "So we just have to go there and alter some of them right?"

Minato laughed nervously, "I'm afraid it's not so simple."

"What's the problem then?"

"Have you ever heard of a transplant rejection?"

Naruto moaned, "Kind of. Sakura talks about it every once in awhile when she's worrying about one of her patients."

"Yup. She has a good reason to worry. A transplant rejection occurs when a foreign object, usually an organ, is transplanted into someone and their cells attack it in a faulted form of self-defense."

The genin closed his eyes, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Ehh, I don't get it. What does this have to do with anything?"

Minato rubbed at the back of his head. "You see son, right now that foreign object is you."

"What?"

"This part of the seal was never designed for you to exist in. Normally, you would have never even been able to access it, but the alterations to the outer segment of your trigram seal situated you here."

Naruto placed his hands on his hips. "Okay, but what's so bad about that?"

"There's a high chance that you could be labeled as a threat and your own mind could lay harsh restrictions on you or even go as far as to kill you. That's why you can't use ninjustu here."

"I see, but-"The subliminal implication of the last sentence hit him. "How did you know about-"

"The rasengan? I'm the one who invented that justu. You think I wouldn't know how it sounded, let alone recognize the boom it makes when it fails?"

Naruto huffed and looked away from the pleased smile on his father's face. He let the silence fester for awhile before breaking it. "So, I guess we better start walking then huh?" He leapt across the quiet stream in a single bound, Minato following his lead. He gently picked up the forgotten cloak, spinning to face the man. "You're gonna want to put this on Fourth. We've got some work to do."

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**_Author's Note:_**

_ Phew, this had a lot of explanations! I know it probably wasn't too thrilling to read (I know, I had to proof-read it…) but I promise that it was necessary in order to set up the rest of the chapters. I have no idea if any of these theories actually fit into the manga (especially the sealing ones!) but without them I would have no story, so please just deal with it. Since Naruto's older in this fic, I tried to make him come off slightly more intelligent (not too much though) and left Minato's character fairly untouched. Thanks for reading and please review; they are always fun to read! :D_

_Minatochan2_


	3. Time and Time Again

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. If I did, Chance for a Prophecy would be made into a movie ;D (read it now if you haven't already!)

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It felt like the two had been travelling for hours, the tranquil pool resting parallel to them. The only time they paused was at the rare forks in their path during which Minato had to pause before choosing which direction to go. Naruto followed his father closely behind, wearing an unsure look. "Oi, are you sure you know where we're going?"

The hokage turned his head to face him, although not stopping. "Yep."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. He was glad they finally had struck up a conversation. "Would you mind sharing?"

"Well, the majority of the added markings were on the lower left portion of your seal. By accounting for the other two that were elsewhere, we can find the median point and then translate the composition based on the age of the -"

"Okay okay, never mind! Forget I asked! You're gonna make my head hurt!" Minato laughed and casually slowed down so the two were walking side by side. "I thought there would be like, maps or something ya know. Darn it!" The teen rubbed at his temples.

"That's what I thought you might say. Just let me do the guiding and hopefully we can fix this without catching a hitch."

Naruto turned to face his father with a serious expression. "That's great and all but can we hurry up? I don't know how long we have left before Takeshi makes his next move! I mean, he could be killing me right now or even worse, attacking Konoha!"

Minato nodded his head, understanding his son's concern but continued, "I wouldn't worry so much."

"Are you crazy!? Why shouldn't I be worried!?" The teen exploded, looking completely betrayed and ready to throw a punch if necessary.

The older man raised his hands placidly, "Don't take me the wrong way. What I mean is: the amount of time you have is not as constricted as you think. One of the reasons that the Shiki Fuujin is so complicated is because it creates a reality between space. At this moment, the two of us are stuck in limbo, if you will, between your mind and the real world. In a person's mind time does not exist while in the real world it does."

Naruto digested this information carefully. It might as well have been said in a foreign language but he was able to decode the main point of his father's words. "Okayy, so you're saying that we're in a place without time but… with time…?" The concept made no sense but he hoped the seal-master would be able to shed some light on the subject. Fortunately, Minato's following words proved to be less confusing: "In theory, that would be the right answer but to account for the two existing-realities, time just passes considerably slower."

_Why couldn't he have just said that before? _Naruto let his hands drop from his forehead and instead buried them into his navy pockets. "I think I get it…." His fight with Nagato flashed through his thoughts. It seemed like he had spent at least ten minutes talking to his father but when he opened his eyes again, hardly anything had changed. The same thing happened when he had been training to restrain Kurama's chakra in Kusogakure and met his mother. The idea appeared to make sense so he trusted his father's judgment and let his qualms about Takeshi go for the time being.

Naruto's mind stumbled on another question. "Hey Dad? If time is slower, how long have you really been stuck here?"

Minato's eyes widened. He had never really given the idea much contemplation but he knew it had been longer than multiple of his own lifetimes. The shadow of his former life was exactly that: a shadow. He could hardly recall some of his memories as a living person and they had begun to lack any meaning to him. Remembering the faces of his old friends and family was like looking back at photographs holding little more than physical importance. The comparison tore at his heart but he admitted that it was true. He released a cheerless breath before looking back at his son, who had been watching him with a child-like wonder, and forced a smile to stretch across his face. "Not too long."

"Oh, really? I thought that… oh well." Naruto laughed lightly, beaming at the man across from him. Minato smiled back. He had almost forgotten how to hold a conversation with someone but the interaction felt wonderful.

_ Grrr…_

Naruto reached for his stomach with a sheepish grin "Um, is there anywhere we could get something to eat? I'm starving ya know!"

The hokage shot his son a surprised look. "Are you serious? That shouldn't even be possible." He watched his son in disbelief who was bent at his midsection. _Geez, this kid's something else that's for sure._ Minato clarified, "no, there's no food here."

"Darn." Naruto straightened himself out, still rubbing at his empty stomach. "What about the water over there?" He pointed to the river that still intersected the two lanes.

Minato reacted as if he'd been told: I'm going to go jump off a roof and see what happens. "No!" He latched onto his son's arms. "That's NOT water. If you fall in there, you will never come back out!"

Naruto only seemed more interested and inquisitively walked over to it, hauling his panicky companion with him. "Why? What's down there that has you so spooked?" He peered over the edge so that he could see into it clearly. The golden liquid glimmered innocently, its depths drowning in darkness.

Minato immediately shook his head, his long hair trailing not far behind the motion. He tugged his son further from the pool in disapproval. "You don't want to know, now come on."

"What? I've stood over that same water dozens of times when I'm talking to Kurama and nothing bad has ever happened ya know. "

Minato frowned "This and that are very different things." He gestured to the fluid as if it was what would bring the apocalypse. "We're not in front of the Kyuu- I mean, Kurama. We're caught in a different place entirely with things that you should stay away from. THAT is one of them." Naruto removed his eyes to meet with his father's. Minato decided to be political and appeal to his son's interests, "Remember, the quicker you get out of here, the quicker you can eat."

That was the deal breaker for Naruto but even as they continued walking (Minato taking the extra precaution of making Naruto walk to his side further from the liquid), he observed the silent river with a tinge of curiosity.

* * *

The sewer eventually began to become larger as the two continued, the ghost of a ceiling becoming further and further from reach and the walls beginning to slide away from the center revealing more room for walking. Naruto noted the changes as they had not encountered another junction in what felt like an eternity. The air here tasted stale and it was apparent that no one had been here in a long time as the bottoms of his sandals were coated in a layer of dust. He inspected his father's face for any indication that they were out of place but his calm expression remained the same. Naruto sighed, resting his hands behind his head and scrutinizing the floor. The steel was cracked here and there, tempting his eyes to trace the fractures.

_ The spring sky melted onto his skin. He adjusted the straps of his pack closer to his neck. Kusa had been recovering after the loss of some of their shinobi in the war which made Naruto leave with a light heart. He let out a long breath. He had already passed the remains of the Kannabi Bridge and had almost broken out of the dense forest. He supposed he deserved a break. Naruto let the bag slip off his shoulder and sat down beside it. He reached into a large pocket and his hand emerged with some rations that he nibbled on contentedly, the bittersweet taste dissolving on his tongue before he swallowed it down. _

_ The large tree trunks were marked with scars from battles of the Third Shinobi War but aside from that, the place seemed one of healing. A soft wind weaved its way to him, the aroma of fresh flowers embracing it fully. Light trickled down from the lush canopy above and numerous plants stretched toward it with the hopes of becoming like the ancient oaks that towered above them. Perhaps one day they would breach the forest ceiling and be bathed in all the light the world had to offer. Until then, the slums of the ground would have to suffice._

_ Naruto reached up to finger the wound on the tree behind him. Had it been from someone he knew?_

_ His attention was snapped from his musings as a sudden crack split the ground beneath him. He leapt up in surprise, deserting his things to be swallowed up, and landed smoothly on a tree branch above him. He recovered from the shock and his head cocked up to survey his surroundings. The landscape crumbled inward from the unexpected stress, the entire world seeming to bend to the will of the fissure._

_ Naruto's eyes followed the cleft that dwindled until it met with a silhouette submerged in a red light. It stood still off in the distance like a harbinger of death. He strained his vision to see the figure better until it disappeared altogether. _

_ "Fancy seeing you here," a frosty voice hummed behind him. The edge of metal was pressed close to the side of his neck, the coldness sinking into his skin with killer intent. The sensation was accompanied by moist breath, making his entire body feel clammy and uneasy._

_ "And just who are you?" Naruto responded in turn, his voice revealing no sign of panic. He came off as if it was merely a regular occurrence._

_ "The one who is going to end you." Naruto spun swiftly to deflect the kunai when he was met with white, circular eyes and a demonic face masked in pulsing black chakra._

"Naruto."

The named blonde's thoughts crashed back to reality. "Wh-what?" he asked, clearly startled. He struggled to compose himself in as professional a way as possible.

Minato continued gently. "We're here."

* * *

**Author's note:**

_Yes, another fairly uneventful chapter. Sorry. : / I threw in a flashback to when Naruto was surprise-attacked by Takeshi just to give a little more action since I haven't had much yet. For those who have been wondering, Takeshi is a character of my own invention (I'd rather have a bad-guy who won't get Naruto-converted like many of the traditional antagonists from the manga/anime so you can count that Takeshi will remain a dependable villain).I also tossed in some Minato depression cause I figured this story needed some feels and more development to Minato's character. Speaking of which, did anyone catch Minato's mini-mistake in chapter 2? Well, you'll find out later I guess. Please review or tell me what I could improve on. Thanks for sticking with me so far!_

_Minatochan2_


	4. Under the Knife

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. If I did, Minato would be revived permanently.

* * *

The huge door was labeled with the large character **刀** in black ink, the edges swishing smoothly until they met with the steel frame. It stretched up stories above their heads, towering over everything and anything. The golden pool snuck underneath its guard and no doubt continued on the other side.

"That's strange," Minato hummed to himself, cupping his chin in confusion. Naruto peered over toward his father as he continued, "I've been here a few times and there has never been a door blockading this area."

"Do you think it has to do with that defense-mechanism stuff you were talking about?"

The hokage nodded. "Must be. I suppose we're in the right place though if someone went to the extra trouble to close this off; whoever they are, they must not want us to reach whatever's behind this."

Naruto boldly strode over to it and tapped at the door. It produced a large drum echoing around the corridor. "This thing is jammed up pretty good ya know. It'll take a lot of force to break this down." He rapped his fingers against its exterior in a musical rhythm. "If only Octopops were here," he laughed with a wide grin.

His partner merely shook his head in distaste, a faint smile betraying the gesture, before continuing to scan the outer rim for any seals. The adult ran his fingers along the frame, making sure to be as thorough as possible, until he finally stood back up. He folded his arms across his chest. The search had proved fruitless.

Naruto released an excusing cough and glanced toward his father. "No luck?"

"None at all. This is the only way through to this quadrant, at least, that I'm aware of." Minato let out an exasperated sigh. "The only ways we can get across is to go around it somehow or go through it." He gestured widely with one of his arms before returning it back to its previous position in front of his torso.

"Why don't we go under it?"

Minato quickly refuted the idea, "You can't dig through metal."

"That's not what I mean ya know."

Minato glanced toward his son with a questioning look. The teen beamed in response with a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Feel like going for a swim?" He waved casually to the river sleeping beside them.

"No! I just got done lecturing you about this!" Minato swept his hand horizontally as if to knock a load of paperwork off a table.

Naruto groaned, "You're really scared of that stuff aren't you? Come on," He nudged his father's shoulder with his elbow, egging him to give in. The jounin watched his son with mild amusement. "Really, it looks like urine ya know!" Minato sucked in a deep breath but remained unmoving on the matter, any patience he had wearing thin. Finally Naruto gave up and assumed an irritated pose similar to his elder's. "Fine then, what do you suppose we do?"

Minato shifted his hands onto his hips and continued, "Like I said before, if we can't go around it, then we have to go through it."

The genin's disposition instantly changed to a devious grin. "Ahh! Well, blowing through things is my specialty ya know!"

_Same as Kushina..._ Minato inwardly let out a drawn out breath, emitting an air of disagreement. "I don't think that's the best way to-"

"Kage Bunshin no justu!"

A dozen Narutos poofed into existence beside the original, each one looking identical and equally as tangible as the other. One of them cracked his knuckles expectantly.

Minato paused, blinking at the copies of his son in slight disbelief.

Naruto tilted his head to the side cockily. "What? Didn't think I knew the shadow clone jutsu? I'm surprised you didn't notice before. I used it in our fight!"

"You shouldn't be able to use any ninjutsu here," the hokage said, more to himself than his son.

Naruto faltered for a moment, looking at his father for a few moments before it finally registered what he was getting at. "Wait, you mean…" A few of the clones glanced off to the side to hide their snickers. "You were wrong?"

Minato turned away, tapping his foot on the ground in concentration. "My assumption was incorrect is all. Again, the Shiki Fuujin is complica-"

"Gosh, just admit it, you were wrong," the teen retorted with a happy tone. His posse all nodded their heads.

The hokage discharged another sigh before turning back to his son with a raised eyebrow and a half-smile. "You can get all your laughs out later. Right now, I think you made all those doppelgangers for a reason."

He gave a sweeping bow of his head in concurrence before utterly pummeling the metal with an array of fists, shins, shoulders, and feet. Each clone carefully avoided the river at Minato's advice and cautiously jumped to the other side of it if the occasion arose. The thirteen of them all formed a tight unit effectively alternating so they all landed consecutive hits. The barrier boomed dangerously with every blow, daring the replicas to land another.

One of them stumbled back before aiming another hard kick toward the left rim. _Poof. _Minato observed silently as the kick was never landed and the clone disappeared into smoke. A contemplative frown stretched across his face. _That's strange._ As minutes ticked by he found himself paying more attention to the clones than the gate.

Naruto retreated back. His mini-army had fallen one by one, each dispersing into thin air. He intersected his forefingers at their first joint. "Kage bunshin no justu!" A few clones emerged but immediately disbanded. He turned back to his father who was still watching carefully with his back against the wall. "I don't understand. I still have plenty of chakra!"

Minato nodded. "Hmmm, interesting." He strode over to his son and smoothly slipped a tag out from the teen's pouch before continuing on to the broad entrance.

"Oi! What's 'interesting'?"

The man seemingly ignored the question and secured the paper to the seam between the door and the wall. "You might want to stand back a bit," he warned before doing so himself. He raised two fingers in front of him and charged some energy into the explosive. "Kai!"

The symbols marked on the tag glared a swirling orange before igniting into destructive flames. The door gave in at once and crumbled in hefty chunks that disrupted the still stream below. Naruto raised his arm to protect his face from the wave of aftershock that bellowed through the chamber. Minato remained as calm as ever, the billowing of his hair and cape behind him the only hint of change.

After the blast had settled down, the hokage nonchalantly stepped toward the gaping hole that was left behind. He placed his hand on one of the boulders protruding from the edge of the circular chasm before turning back to face his son. "You coming?"

Naruto closed his previously open mouth and crossed his arms. "I loosened it up for you," he retorted softly making his way over to the other blonde with a huff.

Minato let a tender smile cross his face. "By all means, after you. "He signaled for Naruto to enter the opening, which he complied with haughtily.

"It was even my paper bomb ya know," he muttered under his breath. Minato's grin widened and he followed his son shortly after.

* * *

To their dismay, the door only led to another hall. However, it did appear extremely different from the sewer-like setting they had been in before. Overall, it looked similar to a library with little light aside from the ever-present liquid lying beside them. Scrolls and desks littered grey tile floors, some of them marked by age or broken while others seemed brand new. Wooden shelves lined the walls with thousands of books and articles containing nonsense, brail-like symbols. Naruto had taken the spare time to flip through one and consulted his father on what it meant. Minato's best guess was probably forgotten dreams that were tossed here but not legible enough to be remembered. He found it strange how closely his mind and the shiki fuujin were linked but dismissed any concern as the two coexisted with the other.

Naruto frowned, trying to follow his father's self-taught explanation of ninjutsu's existence in this mid-reality. He had already tried sage mode and the rasenshuriken (during which Minato had given him considerable praise) but both failed just as his clones and rasengan had. "I still don't get why I'm doing this," Naruto complained after a mass of shadow clones had gradually vanished.

"You'll figure it out," the man whistled happily, waltzing by him. Naruto pouted. This was beginning to seem more and more like Jiraiya's training from back when he was a kid. Minato opened one eye to peek back at his annoyed son before proposing, "Maybe you should try using a henge."

Naruto moaned but decided to go along with it as he did not want to let the past half an hour go to waste. "Henge no jutsu!" A cloud of white gas surrounded him before parting to reveal a tall blonde man with tan skin and a long white cape. "What do you think," he teased. He admired his work with a look of satisfaction, playing with the fiery edges of his cloak. Minato pinched the bridge of his nose but a subtle laugh escaped from his lips before he could help himself. "You already look enough like me as it is."

"No way!" Naruto fiddled unhappily with the lengthy blonde locks. "Gah, how do you put up with this ya know? Doesn't it get in your face?"

Minato chuckled at his son's discontent. "I'm sorry if my hair doesn't live up to your standards!" He tousled his son's fake mane affectionately, regarding the fact that they were now the same height with a hint of displeasure. He looked far too grown up to be the small child he remembered vaguely in life. "Besides," he went on. "This isn't meant for you to make fun of me. Try to decipher what I've been telling you for the past while."

The genin grumbled, sliding a considerably thick book off a shelf and opening it to a random page in an attempt to quell his boredom. The entire thing was left unmarked which denied him of any entertainment. He turned it to its side so the pages would fall freely. He recalled that some of the books contained many scribbles and others, like the one in his hands had none whatsoever. He wondered what that could mean. There were obviously clear divisions between the two but aside from the obvious what else was there that distinguished them from one another? He exhaled loudly and dropped the volume on the floor beside the other debris. He carelessly reached out and chose another book. This one was thinner much to his liking, and he flipped open the red hard cover. The first page was scratched with the typical nonsense. He disposed of this one in the same way as the first. He did not realize why he continued to pull more and more off of the ledges, distantly noting their appearance and their contents. Minato looked over his shoulder and watched him curiously from a few steps ahead.

Naruto was making his way through the tenth volume when the henge jutsu suddenly disappeared. Just like all the other times, he still had plenty of energy left to continue the technique for hours. He halted, letting the book slip from his fingers. There were two differences between the books: the thick ones all had nothing written in them while the thin ones did. He thought about what his intuition was trying to tell him when he unconsciously removed each of them from the shelves. Was it somehow connected to the lesson his father was trying to teach him? He remembered his rasengan training with Jiraiya those years ago, watching the cat play with the water balloon with both paws. That had given him the answer to his two-handed rasengan technique. He peered down at the thick, empty record lying at his feet. There were two variables, one dependent on the other.

Minato stopped and turned around to face him, placing his hands in his pant pockets with a proud smile. "Figure it out?"

"The stronger the jutsu is, the shorter it lasts." Naruto beamed when his father sent an approving nod. "Hmhm. Good work!"

"Alright. So I can still use jutsu here but just not… the super cool ones." The description lit up Minato's face, but Naruto was extremely unhappy with the prospect. All of the A-rank techniques that he prided himself in the most were completely useless here except for shadow clones and some of the most basic jutsu ever taught. He highly doubted he would run into any perves which led him to exclude the harem no jutsu from his list. He scowled bitterly. This would be no fun at all!

* * *

"Hey! Dad! Look at that!" Minato turned his attention from the dark path ahead of them to the direction the genin pointed. Isolated between two lofty bookcases was a lone doorway. It was about the size of a standard, household entrance but was painted an ominous black, blending in discretely with the long shadows that were cast by every object in the passage. Before the seasoned ninja could open his mouth to respond, Naruto hopped over to it and inspected the structure with interest. Minato quickly followed after him.

"I wonder what this is doing here ya know. We haven't run into anything like this before."

Minato nodded, holding his chin in his right hand. "Yeah. Me either, not in all of my time spent here. How strange." He scrutinized the object with clear suspicion. "It could possibly be a trap."

"…Wanna open it?"

His father eyed Naruto's impish grin, silently asking if he had a death wish. "What? I know you're curious too!" Minato sighed, giving in with an indifferent shrug. He doubted anything he would say could change his son's mind. The younger blonde smirked, reaching for the knob without hesitation. "If only you'd give up this easily with that stupid river-thing!" Minato rolled his eyes.

_Click._ The door opened easily, sliding open by itself on creaky hinges. The pair blinked into uncertain obscurity, hands down the darkest of all they had seen at that point. Light was engulfed by shadows no more than a meter in front of them. What could lie past that point was up to the imagination. Naruto turned to his father with a nervous smile, quoting his earlier words. "By all means, after you."

Minato shook his head with a sigh, entering into the doorway while still bathed in the one meter of light he was spared. "It was even my paper bomb _ya know_," he taunted smugly turning on his heel.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Naruto barged in after him. The hokage laughed cheekily, waiting for his son to catch up before continuing on. Neither of them caught the sound that followed behind them... _Click._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

***刀 **knife

_Yay cliff-hanger! :D I just did not want to drag on and on so I reorganized the layout of my story slightly to account for that. I hope Naruto came off as both mature but immature in this (at least, that was what I was going for…) and aimed for Minato and Naruto's relationship to be more playful than most other people paint them to be. I threw in Minato's ninjutsu-mistake to show that he is still human too and set the theme for their future conversations. Congrats to skdc855 for figuring it out first! You get cookies! :D *chucks them at you*_

_Thank you so much for reading and please review. It makes me work harder to produce quicker, better quality material. :) _

_Minatochan2_

_PS: I would've posted this last night but the server was having some problems : / whoops. _


	5. Predator and Prey

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, my house would be covered in art supplies.

* * *

"Hey Dad! Where the heck are you?"

"Right he-"

"Eek!" Someone collided with a wall and accusingly snapped, "You scared the daylights out of me!"

"What light?"

"Haha, very funny ya kno-" _Thud._

"Naruto? You okay over there?"

"Gah, stupid wall." Naruto kicked at it resentfully.

"…Son," ... "I'm going to lose feeling in my arm if you keep gripping me like that."

"I don't want you sneaking up on me again!"

"I doubt that's possible with the way you've got me in an arm lock." Minato poked his son, tapping a few times before finally landing one in the center of his forehead.

"What!? You can get out of here fine by yourself but I'm sunk if we get separated!"

"Couldn't you just hold my hand or something? I'm sure there's more humane ways to keep track of one another."

"Eew! Me?! Hold your hand! No way!"

Minato sighed."Pick your battles wisely."

"What's that supposed to mean ya know-_oomph_! Stubbed my toe!"

"You have a knack for hurting yourself don't you?" The elder blonde chuckled to himself.

"Please, I can handle anythi-"

"Boo!"

"Eek!" _Thunk._ "God darn it! I'll get you back for that ya know!"

"And how exactly do you plan on doing th-"

"BOO!"

…"you really don't know how to scare people do you?"

"Shuddup."

Naruto held onto his father's bicep strongly with one hand, groping the opposite wall of the tight corridor with the other. The cobblestone was damp with moss and the connected rocks huddled together to conserve the fleeting warmth. They were bound tightly by a slim line of mortar, its uneven texture a paradise for moisture. The soggy air tore at his skin with silver claws in a fruitless attempt to draw blood. _Moist breath stung his neck. _He shook off the perturbed feeling that shivered down his spine. Minato's icy blue eyes were fixed in his general direction but left the matter alone.

The splatter of puddles underneath their feet was the only audible sound that echoed through the constricted chamber. Even the air felt heavy and humid yet oddly prehistoric.

"Hold up for a minute," Minato's voice came from his left.

"Why? What's wrong?"

Minato held up his hand which went unnoticed in the darkness. He sorely missed being able to see and be seen. "Just be quiet and listen," he hushed lightly after he realized the uselessness of the motion. The genin stopped moving completely, the soles of his shoes soaking up the water of the puddle he was standing in. He focused entirely on his hearing. The only thing that reached his ear drums was the reverberation of the small puddle as it fell silent beneath him.

"Do you hear that?"

Naruto looked toward the voice. "I don't hear anything."

"Give it a minute."

He sighed but complied, glancing around the black cavern in a hopeless attempt to bolster his hearing. His thoughts faltered for a moment when he perceived a faint trickle resonating further along the tunnel. "You mean that?" Naruto indicated, raising his finger to point in front of him.

"Yeah. I think that's the way we should go."

Naruto laughed smartly, "We've only been going one way ya know; there's only been one path."

"We're at a fork."

"…I knew that." Naruto privately swore, wishing there was some light to reveal what his father could magically make out.

The hokage snickered but did not retort. He tugged his son along in the direction of the sound, the two feeling the sides of the cave carefully. Both began to realize the air becoming drier the further they proceeded and the cobblestone's moist surface followed suit.

A beam of light shone around the corner, emphasizing the shadows on the rocks and walls behind them. The two blondes shielded their eyes before stepping out into the lit space. Naruto was the first to open them, the sudden brightness drilling into his pupils until the feeling finally cleared to disclose their surroundings. The spacious opening was dome-like, the stone floor swirling until it met with the circular edges of the room which then curved into an ascended ceiling. A glossy black chandelier dripped from the middle of the roof, relinquishing its waxy candles' wicks to be consumed by a ghostly lavender flame. The ethereal trails of smoke expelled from them whispered to one another with stolen voices. Ominous statues stalked the sides of the chamber, their hunched figures resembling the same despair as a chapel's gargoyles. In the center there resided a long staff, six ovular rings dangling from the metallic circle at the top. Its end bore into the intersection of four flooring tiles that caused the entire staff to be positioned at a diagonal.

Minato knelt down and swept some of the melted wax off the floor, rubbing the substance between his fingers. "This must be what we heard earlier," he concluded, glimpsing up toward the large chandelier that dominated the room. He let the wax fall from his fingers and stood back up, turning to his son.

"Dang, these things are so creepy ya know." Naruto prodded the broad shoulder of a statue with his finger. Its head was bent down, scrutinizing the floor with empty pits for irises. Slick hair fell behind its neck and the intricacies of its clothes were stunning, the stitches on the hems and shoulders indented lightly. The human-like features added an almost eerie twist to the stone carving that stood with its hand placed nonchalantly on the hilt of a sword resting on its hip. Minato made his way over with an air of mild intrigue. "Well, it is your mind," he stated bluntly.

"It _is_ your seal."

"Touché." The hokage looked warily at the sculptures, his eyes flitting around the room to study all of them while his son was examining just the one. He counted each; there had to be fifteen at least. All were posed similarly, humbly suppressing the area. Nothing seemed out of place aside from the strange staff but he couldn't shake his uneasy feeling.

"Whoa!"

Minato was ripped from his thoughts as his son darted over to the centerpiece. "This is the Six Path's pole-thing ya know!" He circled it with obvious admiration.

"How could you know that? None of us were even alive then," Minato commented although he accepted his son's insight.

"During the last war, this stick was used by O-" Naruto speedily cut himself off. He did not have it in him to tell his father the fate of his former student. "…Old man." He finished weakly, hoping his partner had not noticed his hesitation. He turned his gaze away from him with a sense of guilt. Minato inclined his head to the side, a question bubbling behind his blue eyes before dying down to a nod of acceptance.

"Why do you think it'd be here?"

Naruto looked back at his childhood idol. "I don't know. Kurama would." He ended with a mutter of distaste. It struck him how much he depended on the helpful, albeit slightly grumpy, fox for guidance. "He had told me once about his relation to the six paths but he didn't really share too much. He's kinda a stickler when it comes to personal things ya know."

Minato mulled over the information with a thoughtful hum. "There could be a link but neither of us can know for sure."

Naruto flipped one of the rings to the side. It clinked back against the others with a pleasant, high-pitched ring. "Should we take it? It looks pretty sweet." He glanced up to his father for permission, his hand gesturing toward the staff.

Minato shrugged. "Who knows when trouble could pop up? If you can't use high level ninjutsu, you might as well have a good weapon. Just try not to whack me with it 'kay?"

Naruto laughed sarcastically, reaching out to retrieve it from the floor's grasp. His fingers clasped the handle and an unexpected surge of chakra burned through his system. Nine black tomoe contrasted with a golden, blazing cloak and a pair of spinning purple slits shot through his veins but dispersed just as fast as it came.

"You alright?"

Naruto blinked the shock from his eyes. He was keeled over with his alarmed cohort beside him. "Yeah, I'm fine." He ran his hand through his hair, standing up with the staff still residing in his clutches. He eyed it with a mix of agitation and puzzlement.

As if on cue, a scuffling sound echoed from behind the two. Minato spun around, raising his fists to his chest and shifting closer to his son. A head rose sluggishly, bright, lifeless white shining through previously bare holes. A hand gripped at a blade still concealed in its sheathe.

"Like I said, who knows when trouble could pop up?" Minato repeated smoothly, reaching for a kunai in his back pouch.

Naruto stood up pressing his back against his father's. "There's more over here too ya know. Looks like crap just hit the fan."

Minato paused, taking a moment to look confusedly behind him at his son. "What?"

"You've been dead a long while Dad. New phrases come and go," the teen responded, vigilantly placing the staff back in its slot on the floor. All fifteen of the ghostly figures drew their blades regardless, assuming the same position and inching closer to the pair.

"I don't think that's what they're after," Minato commented, cautiously watching each of the animated sculptures. Their stony texture gradually dissipated so that it became similar to human flesh, still retaining its black characteristics.

Naruto took up a similar pose, retrieving the staff and readying it in front of him. Each slowly moved inward toward them. "What do they want then?"

"Us."

Minato launched an array of shuriken toward the enemy flinging himself toward them with definitive accuracy. The targets jumped above the steel stars easily before they were assailed with crushing taijutsu. Naruto quickly did the same, rarely summoning one shadow clone to help him when he was stuck in a pinch.

He locked with the glistening sword of one of the creatures. The genin adjusted his footing so he could better apply his weight, gradually forcing the figure to buckle against the stress. He flinched as he felt another appear behind him. He spared one of his legs to kick the sneak-attacker, sending it flying back onto the floor meters away. However, his initial opponent gained more leverage due to the move and Naruto was hastily pushed onto the ground. He rolled to his left to avoid a slashing sword that landed harmlessly beside him. The figure's head snapped back as a sandaled heel drove into its chin, hurling it into one of Minato's foes across the room.

"Hey! Deal with your own lot!" the hokage grumbled before sending another tumbling into the wall adjacent to him.

"There's fifteen of 'em ya know. We're gonna have to figure out who wants the extra one." Naruto ducked under a kick aimed for his head. "I was thinking along the lines of rock-paper-scissors."

"You are your mother's son, that's for sure," Minato sighed. "If I didn't know any better, I think you'd be fighting with me for the last bowl of ramen!"

"I love ramen!" the teen gasped, split-kicking two of the animated beings who were advancing from opposing ends. "I eat it every day at least twice!"

"I rest my case," Minato said to himself, jabbing his hiraishin kunai up beneath where the human rib cage would be. He pulled it out tossing the figure to the ground while removing his weapon. A string of white liquid followed the small blade tracing back to the wound. Minato rapidly dealt similar injuries to the other seven around him, each crumpling to the ground.

Naruto jumped back when a blur of yellow darted by him, impaling the back of the creature. "Oi, you're stealing my dudes! I was just about to kick his butt into next week!" He folded his arms, the staff's rings jingling jovially, and stuck out his tongue.

The elder blonde observed all the other six whom his son had dealt with, each slumped lifelessly against the wall most likely with concussive blows. "I'm sure you would've. I just thought I'd speed up the process."

"Yeah yeah, yellow flash stuff." The genin rolled his eyes, stomping over to his father. "Where do we go now? This place leads to no where."

"We are certainly in the right place, as I've already said. I guess we work our way backwards." Minato signaled toward the desolate tunnel behind them. Naruto nodded in defeated agreement, the idea of returning back through the passage not a welcomed one.

"Alright, just let me do something quick."

The teen plucked a strand of medical wrap from a pack on his thigh, wrapping it loosely but thickly around the pole of his staff. Minato watched with interest as he also pulled out a thin line of rope. He twirled the free ends of the rope and wrap around his fingers until he presented a sufficient knot on both sides. Naruto tossed the cord over his shoulder, the metallic circle uniting the six rings wide enough to stop the entire staff from falling out of the make-shift holder. "Let's get moving!" He waved his father on, adjusting the strap with his other hand. Minato complied, following his son with steady strides.

Both halted when the noise of shifting feet resounded toward their rear. They whirled around, Naruto instinctively reaching for his weapon and spreading his feet apart for a wider base. Fifteen figures with expressionless faces staggered upward. A number of them leaked a white thick liquid that mixed on the floor with the endlessly dripping wax from the tyrannical chandelier. The duo flinched back a step when a shadowy mist materialized from the air. It hovered over their gashes and replaced the torn flesh, leaving them unscathed. One of them, whose arm was dislocated from its shoulder joint, twisted the bone back into place with an elongated crack.

"Are these guys immortal or something?!" Naruto swung the staff out from behind him.

His father held an arm in front of him, impeding any hopes of him charging forward. He continued composedly, "Right now, that's how it looks. I vote we retreat for now. This seems like a battle we can't win."

Naruto scowled but replaced his weapon back where it had been, "Gah, and these guys were so easy to beat up too."

The two slowly fell back, alertly watching the people across from them. Immediately when they stepped into the entrance to the passageway they spun around and darted off into the black space.

"Don't run into any walls this go around okay?"

"Don't scare me and maybe I won't," the genin grumbled, his father grabbing him firmly around the wrist and pulling him along the indistinct path. Minato chuckled softly, nervously checking over his shoulder. He was shocked at how fast they covered the ground, putting their initial journey to shame. They abruptly froze before a large rectangular door. Naruto was certain that if he had been the one leading, he would have stopped in one of the most ungraceful ways possible. Minato fumbled around for the knob until the top of his hand bumped into solid metal. He hurriedly grasped it and twisted his wrist. The motion met with an undesired click. "Darn it! It locked behind us!"

"You're too proper for your own good ya know." Naruto shoved him casually to the side, crippling the door with one blind kick. "Come on! I'll lead!" Before his father had any chance to respond, the teen bolted out of the opening. Minato followed quickly after him, wincing at the sudden influx of light. A large blast sounded behind, shadowed by a cluster of fiendish creatures. The blonde figured they must have used a similar tactic as his son, but he did not care to look.

He eventually caught up to his teammate and they continued their rush, careful to avoid any of the books and forgotten desks that were left untouched in the familiar setting. They soon ran into their first intersection bearing three separate corridors. The two stopped, hastily considering their options until they heard the approaching sound of their pursuers on their heels.

"Left!" Naruto ordered, clearing the golden river that Minato unhappily noted was a package deal with their surroundings. He tailed him without question. The group would have to split up at the crossroad if it had not already.

"I still don't like this ya know," Naruto growled. "We could totally destroy them."

"Not in the long run we couldn't."

"Ah the irony," the teen mumbled, the tops of his thighs beginning to burn from the repetitive movement. He cringed as a blunt pain crashed into his back.

"Naruto!" Minato skidded to a halt to find his son mercilessly beating his attacker over the head. "…Naruto?"

"Ha! Told you I could kick the crap outta' 'em!" He stood proudly over his victim with a confident grin. Minato exhaled his relief but it was short-lived as two more appeared in the distance, gaining ground on them. The hokage grabbed his son, who was still immersed in his success, by the elbow and yanked him forward. "We've got to go!"

"Fine, fine," he replied, giving his fallen opponent one final kick in the abdomen before being dragged off. "How long are we gonna go on like this?"

"Shortly after we get there!" Minato released his grip to direct his pointer finger to another junction ahead. "Right!" He commanded, which was met with instant obedience. Both were startled by the smaller width of the hall, seeming like a dinky alleyway compared to a street market. What caused them more panic was not that however.

"It's a dead-end!" Naruto hissed jolting back in the opposite direction to try to right their potentially fatal wrong. He stopped no more than one step ahead as the party had already gotten to the intersection. They seemed to be silently discussing their next move. Minato pulled him back toward a shaded corner piled with obsolete books and documents. "Try to suppress your chakra as best you can and we'll just have to see what happens."

Naruto nodded pressing himself as close to the wall as possible. Adrenaline coursed through his body in sync with his heart beat and the faint red pounding of his seal. His head rung with the sound of his pulse and his breath was heavy. He hoped it was quieter in real life than it sounded to him. Minato edged in front of him protectively, glaring at the black figures that had finally begun to scatter. He grimaced as one turned into their hide-away. Naruto noticed as well, eyeing his father with a forced boldness as if waiting for him to give the order to spring into action. The hokage held back the instruction though, still wishing that combat could be avoided.

One figure strode slickly toward the end of the passage in their direction, its white slits leaving the two unable to decipher where it was looking. Miraculously, the person had not noticed them. It paused at the end of the hall meters away from the pair. The slits watched the book-covered wall blankly before turning around. Minato let out the breath he had been holding in; they had not been found out. He felt Naruto jerk and he glanced behind him. Naruto's vision did not meet with his however, and he stared in front of him with wide eyes. Minato followed the gaze until he realized what had startled him. The shadowy being's head had snapped at an unnatural angle in their direction; the glowing pits coupled with the empty expression led it to look like a possessed doll. They had been caught after all.

Minato waited anxiously, seeing if the foe would make a move against them. Nothing happened for lengthy, agonizing moments during which three sets of eyes locked on one another. The tension was almost tangible.

Naruto's grip on his staff slackened when the head turned back and the creature moved on to rendezvous with its other members. Minato relaxed back against the wall with a noiseless sigh. A weak smile crossed his face at his son's next words that eased the tight air.

"I still could've taken him ya know."

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**_Author's note:_**

Whoo! What a long chapter! I was listening to the Ganondorf's theme from Legend of Zelda if that excuses the almost medieval setting and rambling about half-way through ('x3). Hope no one minds the really creepy statue-peeps but I kinda wanted something a little unrealistic yet strangely unnerving to live up to the ambiguous ending of the last chapter (may or may not be influence by the Zelda music xD). I hope you were okay with them. They are liable to change though so you'll all just have to sit tight for now. ;) Explanations for questions are always in later chapters so please don't hate me or flame.

Please review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome too. Thanks so much!

Minatochan2

P.S: "crap hit the fan" is my favorite saying hands down!


	6. Honest Pride

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I'd be too busy drawing to ever fangirl over Prussia from Hetalia (9u9).

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Minato eyed the floor beneath him. Both he and Naruto were still out of breath from their encounter minutes ago. He doubted he could hold his hand out in front of him without it shaking, not from fear but from pure adrenaline. He glanced up calmly as a pair of white slits traveled across him. A few of the dark figures still wandered the passages although their heads scanned the area aimlessly, and their pace had slowed to a walk.

Naruto shifted to a more comfortable position beside him on the floor. He rested his elbows on his knees, watching as another passed by. His back was leaned against the leg of a mahogany chair beside him. It was simple aside from the tree rings lining its exterior, but it appeared to be the only piece of furniture completely intact within eyeshot. His breathing was still faintly strained, but words came out of his mouth as fluidly as ever. "I think there are more of them than before."

"I agree." Minato glanced toward his son who was playing with the zipper of his sweatshirt. He would have considered the activity juvenile had he not done the same with his jounin vest on more than one occasion. The seasoned shinobi filed the memory of an annoyed Kakashi away for later review. There was a more pressing matter at the forefront. "I still don't know why they didn't spot us back there though. And if not then, why not now?"

"Chakra."

The hokage tilted his head, silently pressing for an explanation.

Naruto provided it, letting his hand fall from his zipper onto his thigh. "When I pulled out the staff, I got a huge chakra boost ya know. I'm sure they must have been alerted to my chakra signature and then latched onto the both of us. That's why when we suppressed ours, they couldn't locate us anymore."

Minato's eyebrows rose at the collected answer. _He _can_ be taught, _he thought quietly, returning his gaze to yet another patroller that passed them by. He let his chakra flare slightly and sure enough its head twisted toward him with its feet already moved to a battle position. The figure relaxed once Minato repressed his energy and, after a few moments, continued on its way.

Naruto observed the exchange with a smug smirk. "Satisfied?"

"Yes, I was just making sure."

The genin rolled his eyes playfully while smoothing out a long rip on his pant leg. The frayed edges parted to reveal no mark on his skin but he noted the tear with irritation. He would have to go get another pair once he returned home. "Hey Dad?" His company turned his attention toward him. "What happens if you die here?"

Minato crossed his legs, bobbing his foot up and down on his knee. He watched the motion with mute interest. "You die."

Naruto laughed sourly, "I could have told you that dummy! I mean: _what_ happens!"

The hokage nodded his head, closing his eyes. "Right now, you're in a spirit form. If you die here, that form would cease to exist and your physical self would die off." Minato folded his arms across his chest, tapping a finger on his elbow.

"That's a little dark." Naruto leaned forward, twisting to face his father. "What would happen to you?"

Minato peeked toward his son with one open eye. He replied with a dim smile after letting it fall, "Don't worry about me."

The teen frowned, resting back against the chair with a huff. He reached up and scratched at its support with his forefinger. The wood was coated with a cracking layer of paint that peeled away after his nails uncovered an exposed end. Underneath the topcoat was brazen oak, tarnished with scuff marks and deep scratches. Minato faintly noted the rough noise and glanced over to his partner. His blue eyes hovered over the introspective expression worn on his son's face and the paint that had crumbled to the ground, revealing a spot of lighter wood that contrasted awfully with the other. "Naruto, what's wro-"

"You're a liar."

Minato flinched at the harshness of the statement, too stunned by its suddenness to form a reply. Naruto let it sink in before clarifying, "'Not too long'? You said you'd been here for the past seventeen years ya know. But if time goes slower here, then it's been practically an eternity." Naruto turned to his elder, determination with a hint of austerity evident in his pupils. He liberally let the silence stretch unending minutes. His face fell after he received no response, and he swiftly turned back around with a sigh. "I want you to start being honest with me."

Minato returned to examining his foot that still continued to tap the air in front of him. "Naruto…" He glanced back to the addressed person who hardly seemed to notice. "I'm sorry. It's been awhile since I've really talked to anyone and, I admit, I haven't been completely upfront with you. You've got enough on your plate as it is without worrying about something that won't change." He laid a hand on his son's shoulder, but it was dejectedly shrugged off. Minato grimaced, the fine line of his jaw tightening, before continuing, "As your father, I'm only thinking of what's best for you. And I promise, whatever I'm doing will make sense in the end okay?"

Naruto moved slightly so he could see him clearly. "Alright. But I promise you this: somehow, I'll get you out of this too!"

Minato's shoulders sagged, any stiffness in them loosening. "Hmm?"

"No one deserves to live their whole life alone-erm... well, afterlife!" He bounced up onto his feet. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki ya know! I can do anything! And… Yeah!"

Minato looked in awe at the young man who towered above him with his hands on his hips and a tenacious grin. His methods were definitely unorthodox but, then again, so were Kushina's. It was not hard to believe every word that he said even if he had his own reservations. Minato flashed a soft smile in return. "Okay then." He stood up, dusting off his pants.

"Now, where do we go from here?" Naruto asked. He looked around them and all of the countless paths they could travel. Minato drew out a pattern in the air with his finger, muttering quietly to himself to visualize the seal. When he stopped, his finger shot up toward the right. "If my memory serves me correct we have a ways to go, but it shouldn't take too long if we hurry."

"Sounds good. We should get going then ya know!"

Minato agreed and followed after his son who had already taken off.

"Um, Dad?"

"Hn?" Minato replied with a brighter tone to his voice than before.

"What exactly should we be looking for?"

"You'll know we're there when we get there, but remember to let me do all the sealing business."

Naruto spared a look back at his father. "Yep!"

Minato's chest swelled with warmth. He doubted he could be more pleased with anything or anyone. _Can you see him Kushina? Our son? _ _He's turned out well_, he thought, wordlessly willing her to somehow hear him. _I'm proud. _He opened his mouth to speak to the blonde teen to his front when the entire world suddenly slipped out from beneath him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Fairly short chapter this week. I apologize for it taking so long (lack of inspiration/writer's block). Next week's should definitely be a LOT longer. Sorry for the action-lovers out there, but I inserted this to add a little father-son bonding that some of you guys wanted. Hope no one minds OmO' Please review and thank you for those of you who already did!_

_Minatochan2_


	7. If I Could

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. If I did, there would definitely be more fan service.

* * *

"Wha-What's happening!?" Naruto quickly lost his footing as the tiled ground collapsed under his feet. The entire corridor shook with some unseen force, the tremors causing multiple cases of books to collide with the equally destroyed flooring. The once sleeping pool had since become restless. A few of its waves embraced the edges of the tile, devouring the debris to satisfy its unquenchable thirst. The deafening noise boomed through the hall and increased gradually as more and more rocks surrendered to its strength. Naruto observed the onslaught for a split second before he was forced onto another spot that seemed safe from the destruction. He detected his father closely behind.

"Do you recall what I was telling you about transplant rejections?"

Naruto was slightly shocked by his father's ability to somehow hear him over the earsplitting roar but was even more irked by the trivial nature of the statement. "You are really deciding to talk to me about medical-junk NOW!?" He sidestepped to another island to avoid a book case that crashed in front of him. "Do I even want to know!?"

Minato raised a finger, his face assuming an uneasy smile. "Well, you see, a lot of those people who have one kind of die."

Naruto turned to his father with a strained calm. "I do see…HOW THAT MAKES NO SENSE!" He waved his arms wildly, any pretense of composure lost within three words. "Gah!" He angrily scratched at his hair. "What the heck do you mean by 'kind of' ya know!?" He barked out before hurtling over a desk that had promptly turned into a casualty of the chaos.

Minato followed, landing smoothly next to him in a crouched position. "The whole seal is giving in to itself; we're getting flushed out!"

Naruto threw up his hands in a "could have said that earlier" gesture before having to dodge another chunk of rock. "Let's get out of here then! You said this way right!?" He inclined his head toward the passage the hokage had pointed out previously.

Minato nodded. "I'll lead!" He took off, his son following shortly after him. The two stayed close to the wall, the liberal amount of walking space provided to them since disappearing.

They lurched forward as a hard blast sent more rubble tumbling down on their path. Naruto nearly fell completely over, Minato catching him roughly by his shoulder. "I'm fine ya know," he muttered indignantly. The comment was lost as Minato's attention seemed anywhere but.

"It stopped."

The sentence sounded more like a question, but it was enough to catch Naruto's attention. His eyes circled the broken cavern for empty, eerie moments. Only a few pebbles still breaking loose from the ceiling sounded as they collided with the ground or the enlarged pool. The teen lightly pulled off his father's hand that still gripped his shoulder, his entire being maintaining an acute alertness. "That's…a good thing though isn't it?"

Minato released a cautious breath. "Let's hope so. Come on." He waved the youth forward, sizing up the pile of rocks that barred their path and jumping over to the other side of the hall where there was an easier exit. Naruto allowed the hokage to lead, following on their current course at a held-back sprint. Some of the intersections were completely closed off with boulders that forced them to take alternative routes. The teen held a high amount of respect for Minato, the man who must have had a map hidden somewhere in his skull. How else could he have kept track of all the corners they were turning?

His guide came to an abrupt halt in front of a three-way junction. All of the tall doors were blocked off, the entire slot vacant aside from the two. Minato took a few steps forward, glancing at the obstacles barring their way. "The main seal should be somewhere around here…" he murmured to himself.

"Should we go back?"

"No. One of these passages will take us there. I'm sure." He walked forward until he was the center point of the room. The golden liquid stretched to his left, since collapsing to the side of the cavern floor with rocks jutting out of its surface like sharp incisors. The inadequate space they were allowed had reverted back to the cold, metallic structure of the sewer; all of the minute pleasures of a library-setting had since disintegrated.

Naruto shadowed his father closely, a shrill feeling reverberating along his spine as much as he tried to suppress it. _Something's not right…_

A stone beside his foot slowly began to tremble. He checked it beneath him, realizing with wide eyes that it swiftly began to shake in larger, more visible motions. It skipped further away from him as another tremor ripped through their path. The only exit they had immediately shut off from the quake.

Minato noticed as well, quickly sliding closer to his son just as the entire floor gave in beneath them. They situated their feet firmly before giving a final push, withdrawing to the safety of the wall that seemed to be the only thing holding. As if on cue, a dozen black figures emerged from the water that swirled violently underneath them like a cataclysmic vortex. Naruto glanced down at his own feet. They were holding on to the wall with chakra. He winced at their desperateness before looking toward his father for confirmation. Minato responded with an indifferent shrug, a childish smile slipping over his features. He seemed to be thinking along his son's same train of thought. The premise of stealth had just gone M.I.A. Naruto cracked his knuckles while sporting an evil grin. _Might as well live it up when I can._

A blast decimated one of the blockades, releasing a flood of fluid to spill into the unexplored corridor. The duo darted out first, running parallel to one another along the sturdy wall. Naruto's pleasure in his successful punch was short-lived as a set of black shuriken whizzed past him. He unsheathed his staff, twisting his torso to gain momentum and slamming the circular end into the head of a pursuer. The next minutes were filled with a whirl of merciless blows as Naruto quelled all of the onslaughts. He stopped for none of them, keeping up with Minato who occasionally threw back a kunai with precise aim.

The hokage frowned as he identified the fact that they were still being tracked. "We need to lose them," he hissed to his companion who agreed. He sharply curved off of the wall, jolting between the scarce islands that were still imbedded in the vast lake of yellow. Naruto did the same, slamming a kick into a torso that got too close for comfort. He smirked as the creature fell into the watery abyss. Another suddenly rose in front of him, a waxy substance dripping from its face. He shortly swerved around it, brushing along the coagulated substance before catching up with his father. The blonde brushed the mixture off his sweatshirt with the back of his palm. It smelt toxic and he rebuffed it with a snort, letting it fall back into the reservoir.

"Here!" Minato shouted, stopping unexpectedly on the wall. Naruto traced his eyes to the steel beneath their feet.

"Dad, there's nothing-"

The hokage flung a shuriken that imbedded itself firmly in the chest of a foe. "There's no time! You've got the honors!" Minato hastily grabbed his shoulder and shoved him behind himself, readying a set of kunai in front of his face. He instantly slashed and clawed at the attacking figures. Naruto huffed before focusing as much chakra into his fist as possible.

"Alright! Here we go ya know!" He slammed his knuckles into the ground, sharp pieces of metal being torn up from the collision and emitting a blinding white light. Naruto had to pump more chakra into his feet to keep himself from being blown off from the attack's aftershock.

The rubble cleared to reveal a serious gap in the wall that spanned at least five meters wide. Minato approved of the size with a small nod, kicking off one of the few who still continued to remain attached to the wall. "Good work!" he chimed, tossing his gloating son into the opening. He quickly followed suit.

Naruto stumbled into the abyss, still clinging tightly to the wall. "J-jerk!" he growled toward his father with a pout. Minato sent him a look of amusement before hurriedly tugging him further into the new environment. The entire area was lit from all sides, an array of thick, red lines racing along them that shed the same crimson tone around the space. Any other color was altered to one of the shades. He noted with a held back laugh that his father's hair now appeared pink, until he realized his own must have looked just as strange. Minato ignored the stare, too involved with the scenario and their ever-present trackers. The teen bit back his immaturity for the moment to do the same. The room was fairly empty, the familiar body of liquid prowling the floor in undulating sweeps from the slightly shaking chambers. His head trailed one of the radiating strips until it veered around a corner. He continued to follow its intricate journey when it suddenly poured into a large circular pattern. All of the streaks fed the same ring, its insides containing an instantly recognizable pattern: the seal.

Minato made one strong leap over to a diminutive, semicircular land mass on the other side of the room. He smoothly stood up from his crouched position in front of the pattern. A surge of nostalgia clouded his mind at the sight, a spiteful reminder of his last few moments as a living person. Naruto was beside him in the next second. The genin gestured with the butt of his staff to the swarm of figures buzzing by the breach. "I'll watch your back. You do what you have to." He smiled encouragingly at his father's hesitance, but it faded to undeterred focus when he swiveled back around to the incoming foes. Minato exhaled, swallowing down any stray feelings, and stepped forward. His fingers wove through dozens of signs at once. He frowned. It would take a long time to get through all the changes as each focused on only a slight aspect of the piece.

Naruto held up on his end. All of the opposing beings crumpled easily as usual, but he noticed as more and more continued to pile into the vicinity. He rammed one through with a kunai before tossing it to the side. There was one more directly in his path, standing relaxed but ready. Naruto let a group of shuriken fly from his finger tips and dashed forward in one fluid motion. The shadow casually moved around them and locked with the teen's arms. Naruto flinched somewhat at the contact; none of the others had so much as touched him. They stared face to face for moments at a time. Naruto watched horrified as the black skin melted to waxy drops, sliding down its surface to reveal human flesh. He tore off the hold with one downward movement, jumping back a few meters. The rings screamed in the drawn out silence when Naruto lifted his weapon in front of him with both hands. He waited. No other figures came into their proximity. He looked on with shock at the trademark black hair, the edges spiked in the back, and the unreadable irises.

"Sasuke?"

The person remained still, completely lacking in any expression. Naruto shook his head to rid the memories that invaded his vision. No. Sasuke was not here. He had not been for years.

The second of mental reassurance was all that was needed to let his adversary get the upper hand. Naruto noticed too late, evading a kick to his skull but missing the next motion. The figure followed through with his initial blow, twirling completely and landing a second with his opposing foot.

"Naruto!"

He was surrounded by scarlet crystals. The solution that closed around his body was suspending him in air and concrete all at once, his entire self subject to its will. It felt like acid, kissing his skin with the edges of knives. He opened his eyes to see the surface. It looked a mile away, faint shadows flickering across the glassy plane. His mouth opened to speak but the substance burned its way into his lungs before he could get out a word.

Naruto winced as an obdurate claw latched onto his calf, tugging him down in strong bursts. He bent to get a better look behind himself. The sight that greeted him nearly caused him to choke on more of the liquid. The depths were lined with a swirling black haze that rose up in dilute strands, vague faces diminishing in the clouds. He recognized the form from his last fight with the guards. _That was what healed those guys back when Dad and I first ran into them_, he concluded, his mind beginning to work at a sluggish pace. He cursed. It was becoming hard to focus on anything; his vision flickered before refining again. Maybe he could stay down there. It wouldn't be so bad, right? He cursed again. Now was not the time for giving up! Then again, the calm around him was so warm and inviting…

A vague silhouette shattered the glossy surface, the crimson shards dispersing. Naruto registered it at the back of his mind. Something was in front of him, an arm slipping around his waist. A frame of black fogged his vision.

He hit cold pavement. Oxygen shredded his throat and constricted his airways. Someone was next to him, patting his shoulder blades and also breathing heavily. With a slight huff, he pushed himself off the floor and carefully opened his eyes. It cleared after a few tries, and his hands came into view beneath him. Something was on him. It was the only thing that was dry. A train of red flames wavered on the floor followed by a procession of red-tinted white.

A cloak-less and utterly soaked Minato sighed in relief, a kunai clutched tightly in one palm. He lectured teasingly, "You gave me quite a scare. What have I told you about that pool?"

Naruto tried to form words through his gasps. Minato was patient, breaking eye contact only a few times to survey their surroundings. The teen finally got out a complete sentence between breaths: "Definitely not pee…"

The hokage smirked at the conclusion, standing back up and offering a hand that was taken with gratitude. "You dealt with most of them, but they should regenerate soon. I've got only three more translations I have to fix. Can you hold out 'till then?"

Naruto steadied himself on his feet, retrieving his forgotten staff from the floor a ways away. "Yeah," he answered weakly. He felt soaked to the bone and still a little shaky, but he could handle whatever anyone threw at him.

He had forgotten about the cape that still dangled from his shoulders. "Oh, you want this back I'm guessing?" He offered it to his partner, the once dry fabric now just as damp as he was. Minato accepted it reluctantly. The idea of his son wearing it seemed to fit so perfectly, like something from one of those memories that he could no longer remember. He stared at the characters rumpled in his hand. The bright red strokes were emphasized in the dyed colors of the room. He had never really noticed them lately. The fabric clung to his skin as he slipped it back on, Naruto standing strongly next to him. "I can handle this ya know." Minato glanced back up, a hue of concern layering his pupils. Naruto reassured, "Remember, the sooner the seal is fixed the quicker I can eat!" Minato laughed, turning back toward the red tracings on the wall.

The same figure of Sasuke gradually stirred from the edge of the tiny island. A gash of white stained his shirt, dripping onto the black floor. Naruto stiffened at the sight but forced himself to shift into a battle position. He would not falter this time.

The blonde was the one who made the first move, blowing through any of the combatants who were in his path. The Sasuke remained poise. Naruto was seconds away from it, preparing to crush the clone with every fiber of his being. Kick. Slash. Blows were struck and exchanged at blinding speeds. Neither party had time to devise a clear strategy ahead of time; every movement was instinctive. Over time, Naruto gained the advantage, forcing his opponent on the defensive while he delivered powerful hits one after another. The figure dodged a downward strike, planting its foot on the staff and sending a knee toward his face. Naruto responded with his forearm, crushing its chin with his fist. He fetched a pair of kunai from behind him and shot them forward. The airborne replica had no time to respond, the metal puncturing its ribcage. Naruto cringed as the fabricated image of his best friend falling to the ground entered his mind. He shoved the thought aside; he would deal with that when the moment came.

He started as an explosion sounded. The liquid before him gave way to an army of the same shadows, each with matching nonchalance. Naruto took a step back. There were too many to count.

One of the leaders in the front stepped out of rank, each following and slowly gaining momentum as a single form that surged forward. "Tch." The genin raised his weapon, lowering himself to the ground for a wider base. His chakra reserves were waning, and he doubted he could take every last one of them. Naruto backed closer to his father. This was a problem.

"Just a few more seconds!" Minato urged, hurrying his hand-signs.

A few seconds was an eternity as dozens of kunai headed toward him. Naruto effectively stopped every one with fast, sweeping motions. They were close now. He fought tooth and limb, trying to use the massive number of foes to his benefit. Much to his annoyance, the assailment was organized and left little he could do but attempt to drive them back. A kunai had somehow slipped past his guard. He caught it inches from his face, the edge winking at him. Naruto glanced up from the knife's devious gleam to see a stream of rogue figures descending from the ceiling. They were too close-

A hand grabbed him from behind, pulling him back. The teen toppled to a smooth floor. He quickly forced himself to sit back up, his eyes stopping on the blonde shinobi in front of him. Minato smiled. "I meant what I said when I said: 'seconds'."

Naruto's sight trailed behind his father's protective figure to the miniature army. They scratched at an invisible barrier that ran through a circular entrance. Naruto blinked. The seal must have crumbled away to reveal another door and area.

The new space was heavily shaded, the only light source the trail of red that streamed in from the adjacent room. Tranquil silence resonated through the area, any sound hushed to a quiet calm. A small landmass jutted out from the wall that mirrored the semicircle on the other side of the barrier. He turned his head to the vast space of nothingness that continued on far beyond his vision. It seemed like they were on the edge of a cliff, an unclear drop promised to anyone who were to fall off. He stood back up and inched away from the border of the floor. There was not much room between the wall and the cliff, and he did not want to be the poor person who would have to suffer such a fate.

"Naruto," Minato started, his entire air serious. "This is the path you have to take to return to your physical self."

Naruto scratched the back of his head with a chuckle. "Alright, as long as you're still leading. I have no idea what I'm doing ya know!"

Minato bit back a sigh. "Naruto… this is where we go our separate ways."

"Wh-what do you mean!?"

"Where you're going I cannot follow."

Naruto stepped forward. "I know that Dad! But I promised I'd help you! I haven't done that yet ya know! I haven't fulfilled my promise to you!"

"You have. You've done more than that. I'm free now."

Naruto twitched at the last sentence, but his father clarified. "Son, my role here was to fix the seal in an event something went wrong. As soon as those changes are made, I don't exist here anymore."

A silence fell over them. Naruto was the first to break it. "You…you've been planning this since the beginning?"

Minato cast his eyes to the side. "Yes."

"Ho-how could you do that!? I thought you said that you were going to be up front with me!" The clear betrayal stung his voice. He understood why, but he could not let himself believe the fact that his father had not told him something so critical from the beginning. Maybe then he would not have let himself get so attached. Letting go was always easier if one had nothing to begin with.

Minato grimaced at the sedition and closed his eyes tensely. He had known this would be hard but…

The teen stiffened as he was pulled into a tight embrace. His mind stopped all at once. Any thought of simply turning back around and somehow finding another- _any other_- way out broke into thousands of pieces, jarring his mind with a spectrum of emotions. A part of him was warm and at peace in the arms of the father he never knew. The others screamed for him to run and never turn back. His conflicting feelings cancelled each other out and left him hanging onto the words that his father was telling him.

"This _is_ me being up front with you. I don't want to hurt you, but I have to go. One more second in exile, I couldn't take that. Not after remembering what it's like to have someone else. Not after that." His voice died down to a whisper, resembling a desperate plea.

Naruto flinched at the honesty held in his words. He hesitantly reached up, his hands hovering just over a set of characters standing for the title of hokage. He let out a shaky breath and returned the hug. In the moment, he could have sworn that he had never hated someone yet loved someone so much in all his life. Minato seemed to understand; he pulled him closer, a part of him doubting he could ever let go. _Kushina, can you see him?_

He remembered the words he had wanted to tell his son before. "Naruto."

The addressed person shifted a little to show he was listening but did not trust his voice enough to speak.

"I'm proud of you."

Naruto felt a strong hand push against his chest, sending him over the edge. He watched as a man slipped from his fingers; one that he could never touch.

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**Author's Note:**

_*trolls you all* Well that had pretty much no dialogue in it, but I hope I gave some of you your dose of action and (for my father-son-homies out there) a truck load of feels. Next chapter (unless I split it up into two) should be the last. Pretty cut and dry stuff._

_ Please review and tell me how I did or your reactions. If you can't think of anything, talk about dat lifeguard-Minato ya ;D Shout-out to Dorcyy and evakname for their really nice reviews and to the other people who did! I'm pretty sure this would have gotten discontinued without your feedback O-O' so thank you!_

_Minatochan2_


	8. A Hero's Return A Fateful Departure

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, Ton Ton would secretly be the Jyuubi's jinchuriki.

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A breeze wafted more warmth through the village, weaving through the streets at a sluggish pace. The citizens sadly found no help in the wind. People brushed off the growing sweat from their brows with huffs before continuing to scour the marketplaces or spread the latest gossip. Dusk was beginning to settle over the horizon, but for the most part, the blues of midday were untouched by the pinks tearing at it from the rim of the sky.

In the hokage tower, Tsunade sifted through the stacks of paper work spreading along the edge of her desk. She grumbled lowly as Shizune added another pile in front of her. "These are the ones that need to be finished tonight," the black-haired woman chimed, setting down her accompanying pig on the wood table.

The blonde glared at the task before her, resting her chin on her hands. She was tempted to ask if they were all double-sided but decided against it. Besides, naivety was sweet. Or something like that. Ton Ton curled up against the cold edges of the paper, the temperature a welcome change in contrast to the balmy summer weather that blanketed the village. Tsunade noted this with a sigh as she shooed the pig off of her work, continuing to dig around for the nearest mug of tea. Her slim fingers met with the smooth ceramic surface. She plucked the cup from its burrowed position between two stacks with a triumphant "ha" before frowning at its contents. "Shizune," the hokage grumbled while waving her student over. "I'm going to need more tea." She shoved the empty cup into her hands. "Make sure that it's got a lot of sugar," she added as the black-haired woman closed the door behind her. Tsunade mumbled, hoping she would have the exact beverage sitting in front of her shortly. Rearranging the papers around her, the blonde picked the files that seemed most interesting. The idea in and of itself was impossible and she had to settle for whichever was shortest. She distantly stamped her name on whatever happened to come in front of her.

"EEP!"

Tsunade looked up from her daze at Ton Ton. The pig's tail was marked with the bottom half of two red characters. "Sorry," she apologized half-heartedly in response to the animal's glare. Ton Ton snorted and settled beside the pile furthest from the woman.

The hokage pulled another mass toward her and began stamping those as well. "Why is it so hot?" she growled, sneaking a look at the large panes to her back. A few of the windows were newer than the others, glinting in the sun's unrelenting blaze. She chuckled on the inside at the thought. Perhaps throwing her chair out the window last night had been a bad idea.

She forced herself to swivel back to her desk and the dull office. Ton Ton snored peacefully against some papers, a few falling in front of her face. Tsunade sighed and picked up another document. The council wanted another time allotted to discuss the upcoming hokage summit meeting in Kumo. _Why do I have to talk to those old fossils anyway?_ She slammed it down and leaned back in her chair with distaste. The procrastination was not specifically from fatigue but something else that she couldn't identify. She could not shake this feeling in her stomach; something was wrong.

Ton Ton sneezed in her sleep, the pearl necklace shining in the blonde's eyes. "Gah," Tsunade murmured, shading her face from the stray beam of light. She glowered at the sleeping mammal once the glare moved enough for her to see again. "Stupid. Why are you the one who gets to sleep?" The thought stuck with her as she tried to focus on her work. What would be so bad about laying her head down for a few minutes? Besides, the wood felt so cool on her forehead.

"Lady Tsunade!"

The addressed person bolted up at the urgent call to see an annoyed Shizune. "Oh, it's just you." She fell back down into the piles with no intent of getting back up for a few more hours.

"Milady! Now is not the time for taking a nap! There are mission reports and meetings and…" Tsunade hardly paid any heed to the words, practically asleep again. Shizune angrily set the filled cup beside her teacher. "You're not even listening to me are you?!"

Tsunade turned her head toward the glass. "Not really."

Shizune shook her head and picked up the pet on the table. "Perhaps you should! Maybe there wouldn't be so much work to do around he- WHAT HAPPENED TO TON TON!?" She shoved a cork-screw tail in front of the person in question.

"Must have stamped it. I guess it means I need some sake."

Shizune released an agitated breath. "I got you tea. I'm sorry, but there's so much work that needs to be done right now. Tomorrow maybe." She pushed the mug closer to her friend. Tsunade exhaled loudly but reached for the cup, the side of her face still resting on her desk. A large split severed the side of the holder. Tsunade noticed with wide eyes, watching as a few drops escaped from the crevice.

"Oh no! This was a new one too." Shizune lifted the cup and observed it with a small frown. "I'll have to go get another."

Tsunade lifted herself up, and stared at the table with a determined expression. "Something's definitely not right."

Her student had opened her mouth to say something, but the door creaked open to reveal a tall chunin sanding in the doorway. His expression was empty and crazed.

"Yes?" the hokage asked, gradually rising to her feet without removing her eyes from the shinobi.

The man mouthed a few words, but no sound came from his lips. He collapsed to the floor to disclose another man behind him. Long black hair trailed to the man's back to meet in a small tie near their tips. "Hello." He said slickly, stepping over the body. "Your men are very helpful you know. This one personally escorted me here." His hand tipped casually toward the chunin behind him, the effects of genjutsu still apparent in his face.

The mug of tea shattered on the floor as Shizune replaced it with a kunai that she pulled from underneath the desk. "Who are you and what do you want?" she demanded. Tsunade remained straight-faced, standing tall beneath the gaze of the person's black eyes. She recognized him as one of the new additions to the Bingo Books.

"Takeshi. I'm here to discuss the terms of your surrender."

* * *

Everything came in waves. Sights, sounds, smells. All of it slowly came back, so close that Naruto could have sworn he could touch it. It evaded his grasp by centimeters and sent him plummeting back down into a dark pit where he would have to restart his climb back up to consciousness. Maybe he was at the bottom of the cliff. Minato must have been waiting at the top. Or was the whole thing just another dream?

Consciousness was a tantalizing process. The world around him hardly made sense and the few hints that he was spared were like puzzle pieces whose edges did not fit. A ringing echoed in his ears and his heart beat seemed to trample out his every thought. His stomach ached remotely. He wondered why. Was he on the ground? He took in a deep breath. The function felt as if it had not been used for years.

After endless minutes, Naruto could feel the presence of other people a ways away. His ears detected their voices, but the sounds were not loud or clear enough to translate into words. He let his head fall to the side and struggled to open his open his eyes. The two forms standing off in the distance became less fuzzed. He registered the slash over their alliance hitai-ate. Trouble.

He slowly pivoted his head back to the sky. The blue color was tainted with dust. He recognized the setting: the crumbled rocks and the trees torn from the ground. He was back.

**-ruto! Naruto! Wake up!**

_Kurama?_ Naruto greeted hazily, his mind still struggling to hold onto his wavering thoughts.

The giant fox stopped for a moment. He was surprised that someone had returned his call. **Turd**, the demon growled. **I couldn't find you!**

Inside his mind, Naruto laughed, playfully clutching his hands over his heart. _Yeah? I'm touched that you were looking for me ya know._

Kurama shifted his head onto his hands. **No. I just didn't want to celebrate prematurely.**

The blonde pouted. _It wouldn't be bad to hear something nice come out of your mouth every once in awhile…_

A sour snarl erupted from his friend's lungs at the comment and he turned his back toward the teenager. _You don't have to be such a sore loser!_ Naruto yelled at the figure. _Oh come on!_

**Pay attention. Something's happening.**

Naruto pulled himself back to his physical self and the bleak atmosphere above. The scuffling of zori to his right caused him to snap his eyes closed. One of the men was soon standing over him, the edge of his shoe tapping his shoulder. He held back the urge to wince, but for the sake of his mission, he managed.

"He's out. I was worried for a minute. Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha! Good thing the boss took care of him," a deep voice above him commented.

Another person joined in with a child-like quality, "Yeah! I'd be worried if we had to tangle with him!"

Naruto mentally snickered. _Looks like someone is going to be worried ya know. _Kurama hummed in agreement.

"Yeah, we should probably get around to orders. Can you handle that end?" Rough arms locked around the upper part of his torso. The blonde cringed. This guy had obviously never heard of a bath. Naruto shoved his discomfort to the side as the other person skipped over to him and held onto his ankles.

"You alright?" The younger of the two must have nodded because the larger continued. "Lift on one, two-"

"Three!" Naruto kicked his legs above his head, sending one of his challengers flying onto the other whose grip had loosened from the shock. He placed his hands on the ground above his shoulders and rocketed himself onto his feet. Once standing, Naruto's hand shot upward to retrieve his-

The genin's hand met with air, his finger tips clasping at something that was not there. He did not have his staff here. It was wherever his father was... He swallowed down the thought and exchanged one weapon for another, pulling a smoke bomb from his pouch and slamming it on the ground. The area was instantly covered in purple gas.

Naruto slunk through the colored fog using his senses for guidance. His legs cried from the sudden spurt of movement, but the blonde disregarded the sensation. He looped a kunai around his finger and made his way to the unsuspecting group. He appeared behind the larger, crushing the back of his neck with a slam of his elbow.

"Captain?" A small voice squeaked.

Naruto left the rebel out cold on the ground, using the new sound to pinpoint the other.

"Captain? A-are you okay?" Naruto swept the shinobi's legs out from under him and applied the kunai to his throat in one fluid motion. He held his prisoner there until the smoke subsided. His face met with another, their gaze holding for an eternity. He winced at the youth. He could not have been more than twelve.

The boy shifted uncomfortably under the stern stare, but his captor held him firmly in place on the ground. "Where's Takeshi?"

"D-don't kill me."

"I won't if you cough up whatever you know!"

The youth nodded his shoulders stiffening at the ultimatum forming in his mind. "Alright," he gulped, at once looking as if he regretted his response. "He left for Konoha. He's going to k-kill the hokage!"

Naruto grimaced when the boy stuttered over the words. He had probably never taken anyone's life. Subconsciously, his grip on the knife loosened. It did not really matter; he would not have killed the kid anyway. The fact went unnoticed by the person beneath him whose breath was stuttering from the mental stress. "How long ago did he leave?"

"I don't know. Maybe about fifteen minutes?"

Naruto scowled. A lot could have happened. At least his father had been right. The days they spent inside the seal had not lasted that long in the real world when the times were compared…if those days had happened at all.

Naruto's sight remained fixed on the boy. A few thoughts came to mind, but he settled with the least violent. The large gash along the steel headband was canceled out by another vertical one. He pulled the young shinobi up closer to his face. "I spared you. Don't join in with guys like this again." He withdrew his weapon and stood up, turning toward a dark speck on the horizon that was Konoha.

"I…S-sir!"

Naruto looked down at the boy beneath him, gold wisps of hair falling into his eyes. "Please, stop him. If you fail, then…my family…."

The genin's gaze faltered before he nodded in understanding and took off. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

* * *

Tsunade glared at the pale man, her arms folded sternly under her chest. Shizune had slacked in her posture, but her weapon still hovered in her grasp.

"I'm going to need all of your troops to turn themselves in of course," Takeshi continued, tauntingly checking off his list on his fingers. "Oh, and before you get any ideas, you should know that your entire messaging-staff has decided to go on a permanent strike. What a pity."

The hokage flinched, her frame shaking from the need to pummel the person in front of her. She kept herself composed, if anything, for the sake of the collapsed chunin that remained trapped in a genjutsu that could turn ugly at a moment's notice. He more than likely had countless others in a similar hold. Tsunade settled for the less direct route. "Get over yourself."

Takeshi smirked, setting a pair of fingers on his temples. "So sorry, I didn't realize you had any power here."

Shizune's eyes moved to slits at the sarcasm, Ton Ton huddling behind her legs for protection. An irritated sigh escaped from the hokage's mouth as she placed her hands on her desk. He had just crossed the line.

"Don't worry about it, Granny."

Tsunade glanced up in astonishment at the new arrival. The blonde teenager was planted on her desk, a red cloak billowing behind him.

"Naruto?"

He transferred his gaze to the face of his good friend. "Yep. I can deal with this loser. Besides, I think you have a lot of work that needs to be done ya know." He gestured to the stacks surrounding his feet.

Tsunade ignored the last sentence and stepped closer to the genin. "Naruto, be careful! He's got who-knows how many people in his-"

"I know," he cut in with a relaxed tone. "My clones already broke his genjutsu. Like I said, I've got it covered."

Takeshi quickly let his surprise fall from his shoulders. "How did you get out?"

Naruto turned his once-caring gaze toward the jinchuriki, his eyes steeling over at the sight. His black eyes, white skin, long hair, nothing had changed. "A friend," he replied smoothly. "But I think there are more important matters to be addressed…"

Shizune and Tsunade spared a glance toward one other. The sudden seriousness in the teenager's voice caught them off guard.

"Get out of my village."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_There really wasn't much mention of Minato (I'm just as disappointed as you, trust me). It was a stretch pulling him in at all while still maintaining some canon Naruto. I realized that I haven't really developed my OC-villain very well so this was dedicated more to that than anything else. The last chapter will include the final fight scene and more discussion concerning Minato because he was a main point in this fic. Please review or leave a note about this chapter (I doubt it will go over too well, but I'll have to see /xD). Thank you Duesal10 and smooth-alkaline for their comments and for those who have R&R'd!_

_Minatochan2_


	9. The Two Oaks

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, Obito would stop having so. Many. Rin. Flashbacks. *mutters like a grump*

_*Side note: "Chomei" is the Sichibi's real name._

* * *

_A small sapling stretched toward the sky from the slums of the forest depths,_

_A slimmer of light broke through the canopy above,_

_Perhaps one day it would grow,_

_And stand just as tall as the oak beside it._

* * *

Takeshi noticed the chunin behind him slowly begin to stir. He scowled at the thought of someone breaking his genjutsu, especially without him detecting immediately. He released a calm breath before turning his eyes on the young blonde who stood confidently in front of him. "'Your village?'" the man laughed matter-of-factly. "Who do you think you are?"

The teenager remained unnaturally composed, taking a step off of the desk. "Naruto Uzumaki. I'm also the guy who's about to kick you into next week."

Takeshi smirked at the response. Two could play at this game. "Ah, yes. You're that friend of Sasuke's correct? Shame you couldn't stop him." _Twitch. _He smugly folded his arms, ignoring the obvious anger Tsunade was emitting from the other side of the room. The hokage maintained enough patience to let the young blonde respond.

"Shame I'm a pacifist."

The recipient did not bat an eyelash at the threat, instead slithering to the opposing end of the office. He ran his skeletal fingers along the rim of the desk. Both women in the office took an intimidating step forward along with their blue-eyed cohort who still preserved his dominant air. Naruto had opened his mouth to say something when a flash of crimson streaked in front of him. The flash shattered the frail windows instantaneously, forcing the blonde out into the unsuspecting village bellow. He immediately recognized the pulsing black claw that gripped him, the villainous chakra scalding his arm and snapping at his muscles. **Kurama!**

A yellow cloak rose up around him at the name, fending off the opposing dark with lightning quick strikes. The two collided with the ground. Naruto was the first to bounce back and signaled to a few stunned ANBU. They gave fast nods before dispersing, a few flying to the street level to drag off citizens who did not have the sense to do so themselves. Naruto had no time to see if they made it as a leg smarted his shoulder followed by a second blow. He raised his forearm to deflect a third, sweeping it to the side to buy enough time for him to duck under a punch. Naruto flinched as a hand suddenly shot out from the chakra-immersed calf. He barely avoided it, retreating back a few meters away. His knees buckled beneath him and collided with the rough, dirt street. Naruto glanced to his exposed shoulder, a sizzle of gas ebbing away at the bleeding wound.

**Be more careful idiot! **Kurama hissed as a healing wave began to repair the gash.

_Sorry! I'm not used to this ya know!_

**Then you better get used to it and fast! Dodge! **Naruto reacted on instinct, hastily rolling to the side to evade a tree tossed his way. The trunk left indents on the ground and tumbled into different buildings. The blonde stretched out the golden chakra around him to grasp a piece of ground that had been torn up on the impact, swinging the bolder into Takeshi like a discus. The challenging jinchuriki brushed off the attack with a swipe of his hand. In the next instant, the flaming figure was directly in front of him, an attack already charging in the black coated palm.

Naruto vanished to the safety of a nearby alley. He peered over the corner to his irritated adversary, suppressing his chakra as low as he could. The blonde winced as Takeshi tore a new line in the street, roaring with a high-pitch that shook the area. _We need to get him out of here ya know. This is only going to escalate._

Kurama nodded. **Yeah. I want to get in on this too.** The fox turned his red eyes to his container. **We can either flush him out or beat him out. Which do you want?**

The blonde shook his head, carefully observing the figure that was tearing apart structures with immense power. _No. There's not enough time for that. I'm pretty sure he does have a weakness though._ Kurama tilted his head in mute interest as Naruto continued. _I don't care how adept you are at genjutsu, controlling a tailed-beast with as much chakra as Chomei would not go without consequence. I don't think that even Madara would have gone as far as to try and do that…not without the mangekyo at least. _

**What are you getting at, turd? **Kurama snorted impatiently.

_I'm just saying that he must be in a constant power-struggle with Chomei. If we can disrupt Takeshi's hold for a minute, we could possibly make his genjutsu loosen up long enough for us to get him out of the village._

**So you're saying we should just go tick him off so that he'll chase you? **the fox said with sarcastic enthusiasm.

Naruto beamed, the motion slipping onto his physical face. _That's the plan, well, unless you've got a better one._

Kurama's comical expression fell so that he was glowering suspiciously at the teenager. **When did the idiot start getting smart? You must've gone through one heck of a study session while you were passed out.**

Naruto froze, more stunned by the sudden memories that hit him than the compliment. He shrugged off the thoughts with a small exhale. _Yeah, must've. Anyway, I think our goose is just about done cooking._

**Go do what you do best, moron.**

The blonde huffed sourly at his friend before spinning back to his real self. Another screech ripped through the streets, the pure resonance ripping the earth off the road. Naruto winced at the harsh sound and swiftly disappeared from the safety of the alley onto a neighboring rooftop. "Oi!" he yelled over the rampage down below. The pulsating form of Takeshi looked up, four tails dangerously wiping at the ground. Naruto breathed in largely before he began his verbal assault (mainly consisting of everything his foxy friend had ever called him). "Dope! Loser! You couldn't even touch me if you wanted to, crapwad!"

Tsunade raced around a bend, a few ANBU at her heels. She waved them on. "Naruto should be over that way. Get as many people out of there as you can. I don't know if we are going to have a full-out battle now but just in case." The masked shinobi nodded before taking a few steps forward.

"Milady," one of them paused, carefully observing the sight in front of him. "Are you sure that…" The words were lost in his throat as the hokage glanced around the corner.

"Fart! Boob!"

Tsunade shook her head, her hand finding its way onto her face to hide the sight of a young blonde man hollering out juvenile insults to an enraged jinchuriki. A few ANBU coughed out tiny laughs as their "village hero" tauntingly smacked his butt while making catcalls. "I swear blondie," Tsunade grumbled to herself. "Are you trying to kill me?"

An unamused spy turned to his leader. "Naruto seems to have this… taken care of. There may be more coming. Should we go defend the gate?"

The woman nodded with her hand still on her face. "Please."

A swift bow was all that it took for the ANBU to return to seriousness and depart. Tsunade sighed, turning around to follow. "I really hope you know what you're doing, brat."

* * *

Naruto side-stepped a small bijuu bomb that was hurtled his way, a mocking smile spreading from cheek to cheek.

**Naruto. Isn't it about time we get going?**

_Yep! I think he's had just as much as he can take without destroying the entire block!_ The blonde quickly spun on his heel, casually poofing out of his harem jutsu with a devious wink. Kurama's chakra shot into his feet, spreading to the rest of his limbs, and the teen was soon speeding along the rooftops. He checked behind himself to see if he was being trailed and, sure enough, a figure with five wing-like tails was behind. A bony exoskeleton was starting to form outside of the black chakra that encased Takeshi. _Looks like my theory was right!_

**Don't get too excited, Naruto! Even if he does have a weakness, we still have plenty of our own. We've only got about half-an-hour left in this mode before we're screwed! You are playing with fire on this one!**

Naruto agreed, letting his teasing tone fade for the moment. Another shriek pierced through his ears followed by the sound of talons scraping against the wooden roof panels. Maybe using the harem had been going a little overboard….

The scenery rapidly changed from city to forest as the two cleared the outskirts of the village; rooftops gave way to tree branches, fearful screams gave way to the whispers of leaves that moved by in a blur. Naruto would have felt at peace in such a serene setting, but the amount of adrenaline coursing through his veins made any noise amplified to ten times as loud. He faintly noticed a twig snap against his cheek but ignored the sting. The trees cleaved to reveal a shallow ravine, a sizable river separating one side from the other. Naruto slid to a halt on the ground and faced the tree line in a low crouch. He was shocked by the silence that met him. The golden cloak slipped off as Kurama retracted his chakra for a moment, himself just as edgy.

**This doesn't feel right.**

Naruto agreed, scanning the area for anything out of place: a shadow, a hushed rush of grass, anything. He recoiled as a low voice resounded over his shoulder, "Good idea getting me away from the village." Takeshi had somehow gotten behind him, Naruto realized with a "tch". The biting chakra had since been repressed, leaving the man in his normal attire with strangely unmarked, pale skin. He stepped closer, menacingly in the blonde's proximity. "Of course, now that it's just the two of us, there's no help for you if you should happen to…" A twig painfully snapped under his foot. "die."

Naruto grimaced as the man continued to hold his gaze. What was he up to? The blonde's attention was diverted from him as a new figure emerged from the ground further away. A coffin. He flinched back a few paces, distancing himself from the casket until he found his back against bark. The cover fell away, letting a tall blonde step out from its depths.

** Edo-tensei.**

_T-then you're seeing this too? _Naruto released a shaky breath. Not this of all things….

A kunai drove him from his thoughts as it slipped past his head. Naruto's intuition led him to duck beneath the sweeping blow he knew had been coming from behind. The revived hokage made no haste in using the motion to toss a multitude of similar kunai across the landscape, an action the young jinchuriki was careful to take note of. He flipped back a few paces before a wave of taijutsu bombarded him from all sides. Naruto could hardly think outside of the fight to see where Takeshi was, let alone ask Kurama to spare him some precious chakra. Everything became distorted by the intense swirl of battle and the constant change in perspective as both parties twirled and evaded each other's attacks. The teenager understood that he was at a disadvantage as he knew no sealing to completely end the struggle, but that was as far as his thoughts could travel before a jutsu in the form of a dragon materialized from the water. He skillfully escaped the ninjutsu before a new one slammed into his chest. Harsh ground rammed into his back, splintering his attention for a split second until he recovered. Naruto hazily stood up and held his buzzing head. The hokage across from him approached slowly, the white fluttering cloak mirroring his own. Naruto scrutinized the man through the fog, the figure so similar to his father that it squeezed his chest with an icy grip. But the eyes… They were too calloused and barren, a desert of white sand that only shined with hope when a mirage flickered by. Naruto forced himself to look deeper. There had to be a way out of this. Somehow…

His eyes widened when he recognized the flaw. Takeshi had gotten both Kurama and he in one sweep. Naruto clapped his hands together, pushing as much energy as possible into the two appendages. He could feel the reanimation a breath away with the end of a blade held even closer. The steel shimmered in the light of the setting sun, glowing with death. The blonde closed the gaping door to his chakra swiftly. Suddenly, the hokage disappeared.

**Genjutusu**, Kurmama growled, feeling foolish for falling for such a thing. **This guy is good for neither of us to detect it.**

"Yeah," Naruto commented out loud, lifting himself to an upright position so he could see the black-haired man before him. "It's a good thing I know how my own father fights. He uses his left hand over his right when it comes to punches ya know. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to recognize that."

Takeshi's eyes glistened with bleak surprise. "Oh really? How foolish of me. You would know the man much better than I." Naruto started at the mockery, mentally holding himself back from pummeling the person in front of him. He exhaled deeply to release some of the pent up killer intent building inside his lungs. The air tasted like fire on his tongue, but he knew he just had to hold out for a few more seconds.

Takeshi's eyes widened as a crackle hissed from beneath him, exploding into a thousand flames. The man leapt into the air to avoid the activated paper bombs below. Naruto was instantly above him, chakra flashing around his figure as he clasped his fists together and slammed them into the jinchuriki. Takeshi spun himself around in the air and ran through a fire jutsu. The flame erupted from his mouth, colliding with the target. "Shadow clone," he cursed at the white gas that was left behind.

Naruto emerged from the river, his clothes heavy from the water. He could feel the faint heat from the justu on his skin, the sensation a welcome one in exchange with the cooling night air that was beginning to settle over the woods. A familiar screech tore through the twilight as a form collided with the ground. Naruto was on his feet immediately, cautiously eying the smoking crater with the ever present veil of energy whirling around him. The risen dust was thrust to the side when the pulsating figure rushed into view. Two enlarged sets of claws made from pure chakra met, desperately trying to overpower the other. Naruto grimaced as his feet began to slip backwards. He reached into whatever reserves he could, forcing himself to take a risky step forward. He managed the maneuver and followed with another. Takeshi's was beginning to be overwhelmed by the teenage blonde and growled as his back met with the strong rock face. The two held out in a standoff.

_NOW KURAMA! _

A fierce fox rose from the earth, a matching set of black symbols coating his fur with the same fuzz of chakra obscuring his shape. He opened his massive jaw to disclose a rapidly growing ball of energy. The tailed-beast shot the bomb from his mouth while providing a scant amount of time for a blonde to leap back to safety.

The ground shook from the impact, a surge of light blotting out everything, even the dark sky. Naruto held his head to the ground in the slight hope that it would do any good. A separate mass covered him protectively, shielding him from the debris but doing nothing for the unstable land. The world unhurriedly began to level back out and the weight on top of him lifted. Naruto raised his head, glancing around at the newly arranged scene. Rocks scuttled across the earth from the faint aftershocks, a few falling into the newly created hole. The river collapsed into it in a waterfall-like fashion that roared and sprayed the ravine with a thick layer of vapor.

** You alright, "boob"? **Kurama asked from above, bending down so that he could get a better look at the blonde.

Naruto ignored the jest, distantly inspecting the surroundings for any sign of Takeshi. The fox shook his head but veered the teen in the right direction. After the person was pointed out, Naruto scrambled to his feet and darted over, Kurama dispersing with a sparkle of radiance.

"Don't move," the blonde ordered harshly to the man at his feet. His torso was bleeding heavily and Naruto doubted that he could even sit up, let alone stand. Naruto turned away from the man to gaze at the tree line. "ANBU should be here to pick you up pretty soon."

Takeshi smirked regardless, flashing a set of red coated teeth. "You met him then?"

Naruto flinched and spared a look back at the man. "What?"

"I had no idea that you could meet the caster by sealing them…" He was muttering gibberish, nonsense. The blonde sunk down to a kneeling position, vigilantly staying out of reach.

"You're crazy ya know."

Takeshi did not seem to hear him, continuing to speak in a weak voice. "Fuuinjutsu's a complicated thing child…"

**What's this old bat going on about now? **Kurama inquired with annoyance. He flicked one of his tails against the golden pool beneath him. His blonde companion still shuddered at the liquid and was careful to stay to the side, even when he knew that there was no point in the precaution.

_Don't know, _Naruto lied, the pieces starting to click together. He was grateful when a set of masked shinobi appeared in a cloud of smoke. A few held back and observed the destroyed landscape while another three made their way over to the teenager. Naruto motioned to the men with his finger. "These are your new friends. Play nice now."

Naruto was about to straighten himself when a hand shot out and pulled him back close enough to whisper directly into his ear. "You'll be seeing me again, I'm sure. Can't say the same about the Fourth. " Naruto wrenched himself free, swiftly standing up and letting the puzzled ANBU haul the man off.

**What was that about?** the fox asked, inspecting the person before him with one eye.

Naruto shook his head in response, making his way back through the woods. The rushing of the wind through his hair and the calm rustling of the leaves helped him feel more at ease. His muscles burned slightly from overuse, but the feeling was strangely welcome. He could have run all night long were his limbs permitting. _I can only guess. _

* * *

Five faces overlooked the sleeping village. A few crickets chirped off in the distance and the weaving breeze ushered out the noisy heat to let in a layer of chill. Stars distantly twinkled up above, beginning to fade into the dull colors of dusk that were slowing waking.

Naruto sat on his father's head. The rock felt pleasant beneath him and the towering faces of Old Man Third and Granny Tsunade to his sides held a comforting presence. He sighed, letting himself sink back onto his hands. "You can come out sensei. I know you're there."

A gray mess of hair shuffled out from behind one of the rocky spikes, taking a seat beside the blonde. After a few moments, Kakashi glanced toward the white wrapping on the boy's hands. "You should be at the hospital."

Naruto shrugged, rubbing at the gauze with distaste. "Just some burns ya know. It's not that bad."

The man returned his stare to the horizon and the surrounding chorus of night. "The ANBU told me what happened." Silence. "You did a good job. The anti-alliance movement will definitely be walking with a crutch after tonight."

Naruto peeked at his teacher for the first time. He really did not want to go into what had happened and the only option left was to change the subject. "What's that?"

Kakashi regarded the object in his hands for a moment. "Ah, this? A thank you from Lady Tsunade." The jonin tossed the paper cup to his student. "Tea." Naruto caught it in his hands, sniffing through the small lid. Seemed safe enough. He took a sip.

"She wanted me to tell you that it 'had lots of sugar'. I don't know why it would be a good idea to give you anything sweet but…"

The teenager shot him a sarcastic glare but took another swig anyway. Simply holding the mug warmed him from head to toe. Kakashi watched him from under his heavy eyelids. "Genjutsu and sealing is a weird combination. A lot can happen that plays with your mind when you go up against an opponent like that." He waited for a response, but Naruto remained eerily still. "If you ever need to talk, there are a lot of people who will listen."

"Thanks."

Kakashi exhaled as he got up, taking one last glance at his friend before turning to leave.

"His hair always was a mess ya know."

The jonin faltered, turning back around. Naruto seemed isolated inside of himself. He clarified with a dazed quality hanging in his voice. "My dad. I don't understand how he put up with it."

Kakashi smiled faintly from under his mask, tapping the boy's shoulder with his palm. "Make sure you get some sleep, knucklehead."

"Yeah."

In a puff of smoke, the man was gone. The blonde eased out another breath, resting back against one of the stone spikes. A sliver of the red sun shone from over the horizon, casting the world in a spell of pink and orange. The mountains off in the distance fell to the pastels and clung to their black shadows to keep from being submerged in the sky. Naruto watched the placid array, relishing the feeling of the air caressing his own blonde tufts of hair. "Don't worry. I'll watch over Konoha for you," he mumbled to the smiling blonde man sitting beside him, letting his eyes fall closed.

"Of course you will, son."

**-End-**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_Thus, this story ends at the completely random number of nine chapters. *dies happily* It's been a wild ride ending this monster, but it looks like it got done. ;OuO; Thank you guys for actually reading this and for pushing me to complete it (those of you who reviewed …c-can I hug you? *sob*)! I'm sorry that I really winged this fic (for example, I didn't even get the idea of adding the genjutsu part with Minato until a few days ago when I read one of Evakname's reviews- thank you by the way) so I have no clue if the ending was any good. I hope it goes by without as much hate mail as my other fics *nervous laughter* ._._

_…I know I am going to get bricked for that last sentence. /'xD I couldn't resist popping it in there since the idea hit me like a two-by-four and wouldn't go away until it was on paper._

_I'm not going to be writing any sequels (sorry), but if anyone really wants to write one make sure to tell me so I can read it! As for my next possible story, there's a summary in my profile that I would be very grateful if you took a peek at. As always, please review and tell me your thoughts (*whispers* I don't know it anyone knows this, but you can leave a review if you're not a member of this site. I don't mind anon reviews…honest O.O" *leaps away to hide from the bricks*). Thanks again! :D_

_Minatochan2_


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